Antheia Writes

If you know me IRL... no you don't

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The air conditioning in the house hummed quietly as it tried to combat the summer heat. You felt hot and flustered, but you weren’t sure if it was the heat or because of how nervous you were feeling. Tonight was finally the night that you and Jake were going to the bar. You had been able to procrastinate asking him to take you, but Phoenix got on your ass about it and made you cave. 

So there you were getting ready in your room. You had just finished styling your hair and were starting your makeup. Maria had sent you countless tutorials on how to do smoky eyes and sexy looks. At first you told her you were just going to do something simple and soft like you usually did. But the more you thought about it, the more you wanted to look as alluring as possible. If you were going to get Jake to stop being annoyingly respectful then you needed to look hot. You picked one of the tutorials and followed it perfectly. After some time you had a perfect sultry eye look with pouty lips. In the mirror, you looked so different from normal. Your hair and makeup was heavy and glamorous, it was so different from how you usually looked in your uniform. This only made the nerves in your stomach grow. But, you took a deep breath and got changed into your outfit. 

Without the casts on, your outfits looked much better than normal. Although having one of your legs still in a boot did affect the look. You wore a tight mini skirt, one pair of the knee high boots you bought, and a tight butter yellow halter top. Each article of clothing accentuated your body and made you feel extremely confident. It was the most confident you felt in a long time and it made you smile brightly. After sending a photo of yourself to Phoenix and Maria for approval you made your way into the living room where Jake was sitting. 

First, he heard your footsteps, one foot clicking and the other foot thudding due to the boot you still needed. He looked over and felt his mouth hang open. You always had been beautiful, but tonight you looked incredible in a way that words couldn’t describe. Everything about your outfit was designed to torture him. The yellow of the top made you glow like a ray of sunshine, while the dark makeup you were wearing looked sinful. The skirt, which was so short as to accentuate your legs, stopped just before he could see anything. Of course, your top plunged and showed off your cleavage. Suddenly, his mouth was watering and his whole body was hot. He wanted nothing more than to rip all your clothes off and carry you away. You looked too good, too perfect to be going to the bar with him, and too beautiful to bless the eyes of anyone else. 

“Wow” he choked out. He swallowed the lump in his throat as his eyes traced your form. “You look so…”

As he trailed off you interrupted, “I know it’s a bit much but it’s been a long time since I’ve gotten to go out”

He shook his head and smiled. “It’s not too much at all. You’re incredible”

You smiled as heat crept into your face and your stomach knotted itself. 

“Are you ready?” he asked, his voice wavering slightly.

You nodded your head and let him lead outside. He opened the passenger door for you and helped you into your seat. As you got up you made sure to brush yourself against him, hoping to tease him in some way. You really were committing to this plan after all, might as well go over the top. After he started the car he handed you his phone to pick out some music and turned onto the road. The drive to the bar was short but the air in the truck was thick and heavy, filled by the unspoken tension between you both. After about ten minutes the two of you had reached town and Jake was pulling into a parking spot. He hopped out and rushed around to help you out of the truck and lead you to the bar. The downtown was quaint and picturesque, with crowds of people walking around. 

As the door to the bar opened you heard the loud chatter of everyone inside. It was crowded so Jake grabbed your hand, holding it like you would fly away if he let go. His hand on yours was hot, sending sparks shooting through your body. He snaked through the crowd and led you to a table where you could sit. It was close to the bar but secluded enough so that you would at least be able to hear each other. 

“Why don’t you sit and I can get us some drinks” Jake said, half shouting and half talking.

“Sounds good,” you replied. He made his way to the bar after he asked you what you wanted, which you told him was a Moscow mule. 

You took a deep breath to compose yourself and think of how you could get him to crack. You still weren’t completely sure if he liked you like everyone else said, but you hoped, and that was enough to make you act a fool in public to try and make him yours. 

Unfortunately, the moment of silence and solitude that you had was broken by one of the bartenders handing you a shot. “Um I didn’t order a shot” you told him, thinking it was a mistake.

“It’s from the guy over there,” the bartender replied, pointing over to a guy at the bar who was smiling at you. The man at the bar looked familiar but you weren’t sure why. After the bartender left the man who bought you the shot made his way over. The look on his face made you instinctively try to shrink away. He wasn’t Jake, and you really didn’t want to deal with anyone but him flirting. But you promised your friends that you would try to make Jake jealous. If you were going to commit, then you had to put on a show.

“Hey” said the guy who ordered your shot.

You smiled at him, but it was forced and awkward. “Hi” 

“Are you from out of town?”

“Yes”

He nodded his head and raked his eyes over your body. You could feel his gaze on you, piercing your skin. It was so unlike the way Jake looked at you, soft and gentle. Queasiness flooded your body as he kept talking. 

“I’m Ryan” he told you. 

As you gave him your name you tried your best to look as if you were interested. You fluttered your eyelashes, but it felt unnatural.

You glanced around to see if Jake was watching, but he was facing the bar, turned away from you. “So, you bought the shot?” you asked Ryan.

He nodded his head. “I believe that pretty ladies deserve nice things”

“That’s sweet,” you said coyly.

Ryan continued talking to you, and when he made a joke an unnaturally loud laugh left your lips, causing Jake to glance at you over his shoulders. His heart dropped to his stomach when he saw that a guy was standing across from you, making you laugh. You took a shot and the guy licked his lips as he watched you, and Jake saw red. It took everything in him to not walk over there and punch the daylights out of whoever that guy was. Jake took a deep breath and stayed at the bar. After all, you weren’t his girlfriend, and you’re a grown woman, the last thing he would ever want to do is control you. And he certainly wasn’t about to ruin a night out with you by letting jealousy get the best of him.

You kept glancing over at Jake while Ryan talked. Jake stood at the bar looking stiff and uncharacteristically pissed, and in a weird way, you liked it. It was a sign that maybe, just maybe, this plan was working. When you saw Jake grab the drinks and pay, you knew he was coming back, so you turned your attention back to Ryan and plastered a smile on your face. 

Jake set down the drinks he had gotten you both and stood next to you protectively. 

“Everything ok over here?” Jake asked

Ryan looked at Jake and then back to you. “Is this your boyfriend or something?”

You turned your head to look Jake up and down, biting your lip as you did it. “No, he’s not my boyfriend,” you said, before looking back at Ryan.

Ryan nodded and sized Jake up, eventually realizing he wouldn’t win this competition. He said his farewell and made his way to find another girl to flirt with.

After Ryan left, Jake took his place across the table from you. He took a swig of his beer and ran his hand through his hair in frustration. He said nothing, only quietly stood across from you, standing stiff as a board.

“What's wrong Jake?” you asked coyly, while sipping on your drink.

“Nothing,” he reassured, tightly smiling to try and look calm. 

For a few minutes both of you stayed silent, just drinking and people watching. But the shot mixed with the mule meant that you were feeling a buzz in no time. Your limbs felt light and you felt braver too. You glanced to the dance floor and then back at him. 

“I’m gonna go dance,” you told him. “Are you gonna join me?”

He looked at the crowded floor for a moment. He didn’t really dance unless he was feeling drunk himself. “I’ll finish my drink first,” he said.

You nodded your head and winked at him before making your way to dance.

In your head, you could hear Phoenix and Maria telling you to go crazy. You knew that you really had to sell it, and make Jake and every other guy in the bar want you. As you danced, you swayed your hips and ran your hand along your curves. You made sure Jake was watching, and you could see that there was an indescribable look on his face. 

It only took a few minutes of dancing until there were men slowly dancing their way near you. You felt like vultures were circling over you, but you knew Jake wouldn't let any of them touch you. Once again, you looked over at Jake, who had his hands in fists as he watched the guys around you. He was seething, and slowly, his composure was breaking. He tore his gaze off of the men and back to you, so you turned your back to him, and dramatically shook your hips from side to side. The men around you were trying to talk to you, and you shook your head and pointed at Jake. He slammed his drink and marched over to you, looking like he was about to rip the heads off of anyone who so much as looked at you. He was a lion among house cats. You didn’t feel afraid though, you felt hot and electric.

When he was a few feet away from you, you stretched your hand out to him. He took your hand and you pulled him into you. His arm wrapped around you possessively as you stood on your tip toes to get close to his ear. 

“Is something wrong?” you purred.

In that moment, he finally understood what was going on. All the flirting with other guys, and the dancing like a college girl at a frat party. You were egging him on, trying to get him to understand that you wanted him just like he wanted you.

He laughed darkly. “You really like teasing me don’t you” he stated, his southern drawl apparent.

You batted your eyelashes at him. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

He smiled and shook his head. “Do you know how much you drive me crazy?”

You said nothing, just shook your head. 

He leaned in close and quietly said, “If you keep dancing with other men I’m gonna drag you out of here and make you forget anyone else exists”

You melted at his words, as fire shot through your whole body. 

“Don’t tempt me with a good time Seresin” You said as you pulled away from him for a second. 

He used the distance to spin you so your back was pressed against his chest. You felt your heart leap out of your chest. His hands, which were around your arms, slowly made their way to your hips. You fluttered your eyes shut at the feeling and let your head fall back onto his chest. His fingers lightly dug into your hips and the fabric of your mini skirt. You felt him pull you further into him, your rear making contact with his front. A heavy feeling overtook your body, making you feel liquid smooth. 

Jake finally had the courage to cross the line that he had been teetering on. Tonight, you would be his and he would spend the rest of his life making sure you were happy. He dug his fingers into you, hoping that it would ground him. It only made him want to go further and be more daring. He had spent the past few months shoving everything he felt for you down so that he didn’t scare you or take advantage of you, but he was done doing that. You were here, pressed against him, dancing on him, and he felt like he was going to explode. His pants were too tight and restricting and he knew you could feel it but didn’t care.

You were swaying your hips against him, reveling in the fact that you could feel how much he was enjoying this. Hot breath hit your ears and then your neck as he planted kisses on you. He spun you around again so you faced him and finally your waiting and pleading was over. In an instant, his lips were on yours in a needy, desperate kiss. It wasn’t wholesome or sweet, it was ravenous. It was the kiss of a man who had been waiting years for a chance with you. Over the years he imagined a million different scenarios of what it would be like to kiss you for the first time. Every time he imagined it, he thought he’d be gentler, more romantic. But you had driven him to the edge of reason, all caution thrown to the wind, diving head first into you.

His hands were all over you, roaming, and gripping, and caressing. You were just as handsy, carding your fingers through his hair and pulling him impossibly closer to you. Quietly you moaned at his actions, allowing him to slip his tongue in your mouth. He could taste the ginger beer from the Moscow mule, and the sweet syrup from the shot you had taken, but above all, he tasted you. You were his own personal drug, giving him the best high of his life.

Before he lost all self control and started fucking you in the middle of the bar, he pulled away. You frowned at this, and stood on your tip toes, desperately wanting more.

He lowered his face next to your ear and asked, “Can I take you home?”

A soft whimper left your mouth. “Yes” you breathed. 

One word from you was all it took for him to grab your hand and guide you out of the bar. Quickly, he opened the passenger door to the truck and lifted you in your seat before practically sprinting around to the driver side. A squealing sound came from the tires as he peeled out of the parking lot in record time. The whole ride his hand was on your thigh, slipping under your skirt and ghosting over the spot where you needed him most. 

It was during the agonizing drive that you realized this wasn’t just a silly crush you had. You were falling head over heels for Jake “Hangman” Seresin. The same Jake that you had spent years loathing, and fighting with. How long had you been blind to see that you needed him. The way a fish needs water, and trees need the sun. It was a primal hunger you had, not only just to have him touch you, but to also have his soul be yours. Tonight, everything would change, you were sure of it. You’d finally get a taste of what you had been missing all these years, and in the morning you’d make sure he knew just how much you wanted him to be yours. But for now, all you could do was sit in the truck, and get lost in the way his fingers touched your skin, and teased you. 

After what felt like an eternity Jake pulled the truck into the driveway. In an instant he slammed it into park, turned off the ignition and was out of the truck, opening your door. His lips found yours and once again you were melting under his touch. He grabbed your legs and wrapped them around him, so that you were straddling him. You shut the car door from your perch on Jake and he walked the both of you to the front door. He couldn’t stop kissing you, not even for a moment to let you down and unlock the door, so he pinned you between himself and the door. You could feel him pressing up against you, so you chased that feeling you had been desperate for and ground your hips on him. 

When he peppered kisses on your neck you begged, “Let’s go inside Jake. Please.”

He reluctantly pulled away, and let you down. His mind was fuzzy and he just couldn’t seem to find the right key for his front door. Luckily, he got it right, swinging the front door open and dragging you inside. Your lips found his again and slowly, he guided you both to his room. Once the door to his room was shut your back was against it. You could feel your heart beating out of your chest, and between your legs you felt hot and desperate. 

“Jake” you pleaded

The sound of his name as a breathy plea from your lips made him smirk. “What’s wrong honey? S’there something you need?” he drawled.

You nodded your head, unable to form the words to ask him to fuck you senseless. He could see from the way your eyes were dark and twinkling that you needed him. And by god, did he need you too. But he had to do this right, had to make this the best night you’d ever had. One more kiss was placed on your lips before he sank to his knees like you were a holy altar he had to pray at. Slowly, he took off your boots, laying kisses on the newly exposed skin. Your breath was becoming more shallow and ragged as he touched you everywhere.

His hands reached up to your skirt and began to find the zipper, but then he paused. “Darling, I need to know that you want this as much as I do.” If you regretted this in the morning and never wanted anything to do with him again, he wasn’t sure he could live with himself. 

“I need this Jake” you breathed. “I need you.”

He let out a breath of relief before he was ripping your skirt off of you. His heart leapt when he saw you in the tiniest thing known to man, just a string and a tiny piece of lace.

“Did you put this on just to give me a heart attack?” He asked

“Is it working?”

He laughed, “Yes. It’s working. You’re the most beautiful sight I have ever seen.”

You moaned at his praise, and then again as he slid off your panties. Strong hands separated your legs and held you up he began kissing and licking you. Jake let out a groan at the taste of you, of course you were delicious, the most perfect thing he’d ever tasted. He could sit in between your legs for the rest of his life. Your hands dug into his hair and you leaned against the door for support as his tongue worked in your folds, making your already wet pussy drenched. It only took him minutes of work until you could feel that familiar tension building in your core, ready to snap. Jake knew you were close by the way your thighs squeezed his head, and you kept whispering his name over and over like a prayer. Suddenly, you felt it, the release you had been craving. A loud moan escaped your mouth as you felt waves of pleasure course through your body. 

Jake stood up from between your legs and captured your mouth in a gentle kiss. Tasting yourself on him sent your brain into overdrive. Once again, he picked you up so you were staddling him. With you in his arms, he made his way over to the bed and carefully laid you down. 

“Do you think you can handle more?” he asked. But it was more of a promise rather than a question. Of course there was more, of course he was going to continue blowing you away and making you fall apart.

You nodded your head, still breathless from the orgasm he had just given you.

He kissed your neck. “I need you to say it, beautiful. I want to hear you tell me you want more.”

“I want more Jake, more than anything” you begged.

“Good,” he said. He made quick work of taking off the rest of your clothes. After you were completely bare for him he took a moment to stare at you, and memorize the work of art in front of him. You couldn’t help but squirm under his gaze, the anticipation of more eating you alive. It wasn’t fair that he got to look at you naked while he still had clothes on. You began taking off his shirt and were blown away by the muscle beneath it. Sure, you’d seen him without a shirt on at the beach, but never this close, and never only for you. 

Soon you were both naked and his cock, hard and ready, was lined up with your entrance. He looked to you for approval, once last chance for you to back out, but you nodded your head, signaling that you were ready. Slowly, he pushed his cock inside of you. A breathy moan left you at the stretch, and you could hear Jake breathing heavily, trying to compose himself. He took his time, making sure you felt good every time he went a little further in, until finally he was completely buried in you. It was the most divine thing he had felt, like you were made for him, and only him.

The thrusts started antagonizingly slow and shallow, letting you get used to taking him. Every movement pulled a delicious noise out of you, spurring Jake to keep going. But he did his best to control himself, he had to make you finish first before he let himself go. 

“You’re doing so good” he moaned, making you whimper in reply. “Do you know how long I’ve waited for this baby? You’re so perfect for me.” When he got to an even pace you started grinding your hips up to meet him, causing him to go deeper in you, hitting the spot you needed him in the most. 

“Jake,” you moaned. His name falling from your lips telling him you were getting close. He kept thrusting, hitting deep where you needed it. When your pussy started spasming, and clenching around him, pulling him deeper, he knew you were just about to come. 

“Give it to me baby. Fall apart on my cock” he begged, barely able to keep himself from spilling inside of you.

You moaned at his words and at the feeling of the tension building in you. With another thrust, you were coming, your whole body feeling the pleasure shooting through you. Jake kept fucking you through the orgasm, drawing it out until finally he let himself go too. His thrusts were desperate until finally you felt heat pour into you, melting you from the inside out. He held himself up, not wanting to crush you as he calmed down from his high. For both of you, this was the best you had ever had, your bodies had fit together perfectly, each knowing exactly how to move for the other. 

He pulled out of you, and you felt empty without him inside of you. But that feeling was replaced by comfort as he laid next to you and pulled you into his arms, wrapping himself around you. You felt soft kisses on your face, jaw, and neck as he showered you in affection. He felt you bury your face in the crook of his neck, causing him to smile to himself. If someone had told him five years ago that all of his hopes and dreams about you would come true, he never would have believed it. Yet, here you were, in his arms after coming undone for him. If this was the last night of his life, he would die the happiest man who ever lived. He finally had you, and now that he did, he was never letting go.

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Hey everyone. I know that it's been like two months or something since I posted the last chapter. Sorry about that. I have been struggling with feeling motivated tbh. But, to make up for it I am posting the next chapter at the same time as this one!

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The first week of living with Jake flew by before you knew it. After a few days, the two of you settled into a steady routine. He would make you breakfast and help you with whatever you needed and then you would read while Jake worked out or watched a movie. When Jake had gone out to go grocery shopping you called his mom and asked her if she would take you to the store. She agreed immediately as she was dying to spend more time with you.

You told her that you were hoping to buy Jake a small birthday present and that since he had gone out you had the perfect opportunity. After telling his mom, Sadie, what you were planning on buying him she drove to what she proclaimed was the perfect store. Since Jake seemed to really enjoy the romance novel he read while you were in the hospital, you decided that getting him a few more books would be perfect. 

The bookstore that Sadie took you to was nothing short of beautiful. It was a small building, covered in ivy and flowers. The walls inside were full of books and plants. There was a variety of books both old and new, and it made the store feel cozy and warm. Once you found the romance section you were swarmed with a plethora of amazing choices. After perusing the shelves for a long time, you decided to get him three books you thought were perfect. Two of them were historical romances, similar to the one he had already read, while the other was a modern romance novel about scientists. You figured that some variety would be good for him, especially since he kept proving that there is more to him than meets the eye.

Soon, you and Sadie were on the way back to Jake’s house. On the way home you had made a pitstop to buy wrapping paper and an envelope. You were trying to carefully wrap the present in the moving car so that you wouldn’t have to wrap it while Jake was home. His birthday was only a couple of days away and you didn’t want to risk him finding the gifts. 

The morning of Jake’s birthday had finally rolled around. You woke up early to make him breakfast, which was fairly hard since one of your arms was in a cast, but you succeeded nonetheless. 

He strolled into the kitchen in a tired haze. “What is that smell?”

“Oh just some breakfast for the birthday boy” you said

He smiled sweetly before smirking. “You know, I’m supposed to be cooking for you.” He said as he made plates for the both of you and set them down. 

“I can cook just fine,” you said defiantly. You both were sitting at the table. Jake ate a piece of the pancake you made.

“I know you can, but I enjoy taking care of you,” he insisted. He took another bite of the pancake, eyes never leaving your own. Your stomach tightened at the way he said it. You looked down at your food, hoping he wouldn’t notice the way your breath had quickened. But he did notice, and he hoped that your reaction was because you felt the same. He vowed that he would be respectful, and that he wouldn’t push you, but he still wanted to find out if you finally felt the same way he did. 

You smiled and said nothing more, preferring the comfortable silence over the terrifying possibility of your feelings spilling out. The silence was broken by Jake asking you to pass him the syrup. As he grabbed the bottle his fingers brushed your own, sending a wave of electricity through you. It was ridiculous how easily Jake could make you fluster. How am I going to survive without giving myself away, you thought. Jake thanked you and spread the syrup on his pancakes.

“I think my folks are making burgers for dinner,” Jake said.

“That sounds good,” you said. 

“I can’t believe they got me to agree to having a party,” he laughed. “I think I’m a bit too old for it”

You laughed too, “well they really love you”

He nodded his head in agreement and took a sip of coffee. After a few moments he quietly murmured, “I think they love you too”

You looked up at him and said nothing, a look of surprise on your face telling him everything.

“It’s true!” he exclaimed. “Everytime I talk to my mom she demands that you go over there”

 The sweet sound of your laughter filled the room, making Jake wish he could hear it over and over again forever. 

“We’re all really going to miss you when you go back home”

Your smile faded for a moment as you said, “I’ll miss you all too”

He smiled weakly before once again returning his attention to his pancakes. Silence ruled the room once more as you both finished your breakfast. He insisted that he clean up the kitchen and that you go back to resting. 

Later that night the two of you arrived at his parents house. As you two made your way into the house he finally noticed that you were holding a gift bag. 

 He stopped you for moment and said, “you didn’t have to get me anything”

“I wanted to get you a gift”

He smiled down at you and tilted his head. “Is that so?”

You nodded sweetly and smirked. He chuckled and said, “I know you’re stubborn, so I’m not even going to try and argue with you about getting me a gift.”

“Good” you told him, before continuing the journey into the house. 

The party was much bigger than you were expecting it to be. It seemed his mother decided that it could serve as a welcome home as well as a birthday. His parents, sisters, aunts, uncles, cousins, family friends, and even some of his old high school friends were in attendance. There were a lot of people you didn’t think you’d ever meet, and you were beginning to feel overwhelmed. But Jake stayed by your side as much as he could, only leaving if his mother dragged him away. Luckily, everyone was extremely nice and welcoming to you.

The food and cake at the party was delicious. There was good music and a lot of laughter. Jake seemed to be having a great time. He was smiling more than you had ever seen and he looked completely relaxed and at home. After a while he opened gifts. Only you and his immediate family got him gifts, but he was grateful.

The gift that you had gotten him was his favorite. Even though his cousins teased him about the romance books he told them all how he read one of your favorites and really enjoyed it. He seemed excited to start reading them all, and there were a couple of moments you caught him sneaking away to a quiet spot to read a few pages of one of the books. 

Before you knew it, the party was over and you and Jake were back at his place. You were laying across the couch in a food coma. He was on the armchair reading one of the books you had gotten him. He kept sneaking glances at you, causing him to lose his place in the book. After a while he set the book down.

“Thank you for the gifts,” he said. “It means a lot to me”

You looked over at him and smiled. “you’re really helping me out, it was the least I could do.” 

“Darling, I’d help you over and over again with nothing in return” he stated, the sincerity in his voice piercing through you.

Feeling your heart leap in your chest, you looked away from him for a moment before saying, “Thank you, that’s sweet”

“Anything for you” he said before returning to his book.

You swallowed the lump that had formed in your throat. Breathing was suddenly harder than normal for you as your breaths became shallow. He made you so nervous, it was like you had a high school crush. You shifted your position on the couch so that you were no longer laying down, but sitting up.

Needing to distract yourself from how you felt, you asked, “How come you’re so… different at work?”

He stopped reading and marked his spot while he thought about how to answer your question. How could he explain without sounding like an asshole that he had a need to be better than everyone else. Deep down, he was a perfectionist, so worried about perfect performance and skilled flying that he ended up sabotaging himself and hurting everyone else in the process. How could he explain that everytime he messed up, and left someone in the air all on their own it made him hate himself and push everyone away. 

He looked over to you and saw the way you tilted your head and looked at him, truly looked at him as Jake, and not as Hangman, or Bagman, or an asshole. 

“I fuck up a lot,” he confessed. “I know that I’m good at flying, but I want to be the best. I guess, I put a lot of pressure on myself, and I drive myself crazy.” He paused for a moment to search your face. You weren’t judging him or scowling, you were listening, and he felt safe.

“I just… I want to prove that I can do it, all by myself. So I ditch people in the air, and act like I’m better than everyone else on the ground. Burn every bridge so that the only person I can disappoint is myself” he said, eyes on the floor, refusing to look up and see if the rest of his explanation has made you hate him again.

But you didn’t hate him, you couldn’t hate him ever again. He’d proven to you that there was more to him than meets the eye, and now you finally understood why he acted like, well Hangman.

“Jake, I get it,” you reassured.

He looked up, brows raised and eyes wide. “You do?”

You nodded. “I understand what it’s like wanting to be perfect and wanting to prove yourself. I’m the exact same way.”

Jake got up from his seat to come and sit next to you on the couch.

“One of the reasons that the crash was so devastating wasn’t just because I got hurt, but because I couldn’t fly on that mission. I lost the chance to show everyone that I can be great.”

He took your hand in his, and with the other, brushed a piece of hair behind your ear as you talked. Although your heart stopped at his actions, you tried not to let the electricity of his touch take control of you.

You turned your head to face him, “I know that you’ll always drive yourself crazy trying to be the best. But you don’t have to feel crazy alone, and you don’t have to feel like a disappointment, because you aren’t.”

You squeezed his hand, causing him to softly smile. “Thank you for pushing me to be better.”

“Anything for you,” you said, mimicking his sentiments from earlier. 

Jake glanced down to your lips, wanting nothing more than to kiss you, and make you his. He was still holding your hand, but slowly, he moved up your arm and held your face. Gently, his thumb caressed your cheek. The feeling of his skin on yours was sending your body into overload, heart pounding and skin tingling. You leaned into his touch and looked at his eyes, the green in them hidden by his blown out pupils. 

“y/n” he whispered.

“Yes Jake”

“I’m really glad you’re staying here”

“Me too” you hummed.

He leaned in, and you prepared yourself for him to kiss you and make your understanding of the world dissolve. But, he kissed your forehead, and it was so gentle and sweet that you melted under his touch. He was Midas turning you into liquid gold. You wrapped your arms around him as he rested his forehead on yours. 

“We should get to bed” he said, but he immediately regretted saying it. As you unwrapped your arms and pulled yourself away from him, he felt like his heart was being ripped out of his chest.

You nodded, and tried not to look sad. “It’s late,” you agreed.

The two of you said goodnight and made your way to your separate rooms. Neither of you were able to fall asleep easily, the intimacy of the moment racing through your minds. If Jake wasn’t so in love with you, and if he wasn’t so petrified that he would scare you away, he would have taken you right there on the couch, and stayed up all night showing you how perfect you are. But he knew he needed to wait for the perfect moment.

A month had passed since Jake’s birthday. A month of him being the perfect gentleman. He has driven you to the doctors, made you dinners, watched whatever movies you wanted. But he hadn’t made a move since that night on the couch. All you wanted was for him to show you that he wanted more. But he kept a respectful distance, never sitting too close, and never touching. It was driving you crazy. He was the only thing that you could think about and yet it seemed like he wanted to just be friends.

Jake had just gone grocery shopping and you knew you’d have at least an hour, maybe more, all to yourself. So you decided to call Maria, Bob, and Phoenix. You had been texting and calling to give them updates throughout the month, but you really needed some advice.

After introducing Maria to Bob and Phoenix you explained the situation. “Guys, I am going insane! You all were wrong about thinking he likes me”

“He likes you” Phoenix said, “but it is weird that he isn’t saying or doing anything about it”

“He never does anything about it, ” Bob stated.

“Because he doesn’t actually like me and you’re all wrong! I’m getting my hopes up for nothing”

“No, no,” Bob interrupted. “We aren’t wrong. Hangman has got the most obvious crush on you in the world”

“Even when we were students at Top Gun he liked you!” Maria agreed.

You groaned and shook your head. “Well, how do I get him to do something about it instead of being so… gentlemanlike”

Phoenix laughed. “Hangman? A gentleman? He must really like you”

Bob laughed at her comment. “Are you sure he hasn’t done anything to show you he likes you?”

“Well”

Phoenix knitted her brows together, “well what? Is there something you haven’t told us?”

You sighed. “After Jake’s birthday we had… a moment.”

“A moment? What kind of a moment?” Maria interrogated. 

“We were having a deep conversation, and he was sitting next to me. And he was holding my hand while we were talking.”

“There’s more right?” Bob asked.

You nodded and took a deep breath. “Well, he held my face with his hand and told me he was really glad I was staying with him. And then I thought he was going to kiss me but then he kissed my forehead.”

“Awww” Maria cooed. “That is so sweet”

Phoenix rolled her eyes. “What the hell is wrong with him? I have never witnessed him have so much restraint.”

“Guys, I think we all should just accept that nothing it going to happen between me and him”

Phoenix shook her head. “Absolutley not. You just need to break him.”

“What do you mean?” you asked

“You need to tease him and wear him down until the respectable Jake disappears and he admits how he feels, and jumps your bones.”

“We need a plan,” Bob said.

The group fell silent as they all thought about the best way to get Jake to admit his feelings.

Maria gasped suddenly, “Guys, I know the perfect thing!”

“Ok, what is it?” you asked

“When do you get your casts off?” Maria asked

You thought for a moment to remember what the doctors had told you. “Um… my arm is going in a sling on friday and then next wednesday I am getting a boot for my leg”

Maria smiled, “On the Saturday after you get the boot off tell Jake that you want to go to the bar”

“The bar?” 

“Yes, the bar! It’s been forever since you’ve gone and you’ve been cooped up inside”

“True… but why the bar?” Maria smiled devilishly, “Because you’re going to wear a skimpy outfit and flirt with strangers”

“Yes!” Phoenix exclaimed. “That is perfect”

“That is awful! This is never going to work” you said.

Bob hummed before weighing in. “No, actually. I think they may be on to something. He gets very jealous when someone even looks your way”

“No he does not” you protested.

“Yes he does. Do you remember when we ran into him after going to the library?” Bob asked.

You thought back for a moment and remembered that night. You had run into him, causing you to trip, and he caught you and held you close. “Yes,” you said while blushing.

“That night, he was pretty tense and angry that I was with you. He didn’t relax until I told him about my date with Anne.”

“I remember hearing about that!” Phoenix said.

“TAG it is so obvious he likes you!” Maria exclaimed, “you just need to make him go crazy”

“And you all think that making him jealous will work?”

“Yes!” they all exclaimed in unison.

You sighed before agreeing to their ridiculous plan. That night, you and Jake went to his parents house for dinner. While you were there you asked his sisters if they would want to go shopping with you soon. They happily agreed to take you out shopping, and a date was set. 

Eventually, the day you were going out with his sisters rolled around. You told them you wanted to get some going out clothes but weren’t sure what was in style in Texas. They assured you that they knew the perfect store and drove you to the mall. 

The store they brought you to was indeed perfect. There were cowboy boots everywhere, some plain and some bejeweled. There was a good variety of clothes too. Some were very country looking while others were perfect for clubbing. You picked out some outfits you liked and his sisters handed you some clothes too. 

When you went into the fitting room you surprisingly liked everything and decided to get it all. You brought the clothes to the counter but noticed that Anna and Daphne were grinning like devils.

“What are you two smiling about?”

“Oh nothing,” Anna said.

Daphne laughed. “She’s lying. We were wondering if Jake was taking you on a date”

“Daphne! You’re the worst” Anna said.

You blushed for a moment. “No he isn’t taking me on a date. Why did you think that?”

Anna sighed. “He gave us his credit card and told us to make sure he paid for all of the clothes you buy”

“Oh” you exclaimed. “I can pay for everything. He doesn’t need to do that.”

“Too late. We already had the cashier ring everything up” Daphne said.

You shook your head and tried to hide your smile. These two girls were trouble, just like their brother. 

“Fine. But I’m not going to buy anymore stuff” you told them.

They reluctantly agreed to end the shopping trip and you all went home. As you looked over the outfits you picked out you began to feel excited. The clothes were much different from the uniform you usually wore, and even when you were off duty you were usually in comfortable clothes. This would be the first time in a while that you would get to dress up and have fun. Going to a bar with Jake would be fun, especially if it meant you would try and torment him. 

When you were back at Jake’s you laid out the clothes on your bed and snapped a photo to send to Maria, Phoenix, and Bob. Soon your phone was dinging rapidly. They all approved of your outfits and were sure that he would stop putting up a wall. You hoped that they were right, otherwise you were going to embarrass yourself and get your heart broken.

-

Two weeks after the mission ended you found yourself sitting with Jake at the San Diego International Airport. Although the two of you had grown much closer, the reality of the situation was kicking in. You would be living with Jake, for months while you healed. You had about a month and a half, maybe more before the casts on your leg and arm would be able to come off. You already were frustrated with your injuries and needing help, but with a broken leg and a broken arm in clunky casts, regular tasks were difficult. While you were in the hospital, Jake had doted on you and you knew that would only continue. As much as you appreciated how caring he was, it only added fuel to the raging fire that burned in your heart for him. 

It would be so hard to hide how you felt for him, to have him so close and not be able to have him. Jake noticed the way that you were digging your nails into your thigh with your free hand. He took hold of your hand and gave it a squeeze. To distract yourself you decided to ask him questions.

“So, you’re from San Antonio right?”

“Kinda,” he said. “I just tell people that if they aren’t from Texas, it’s easier”

You nodded your head and asked, “So where are you really from?”

“A little town about an hour away from there. It’s called Sunshine”

“Sunshine, Texas? Are you messing with me?” you laughed.

He shook his head and smiled. “No ma’am I am not. It really is called Sunshine.”

You smiled at the thought of little baby Jake running around in Sunshine, Texas. It was too perfect, too picturesque, and explained why he just told people he was from San Antonio.

One of the gate attendants made an announcement that priority boarding would be starting. Since you and Jake were on active duty that meant you would board first. He scanned your tickets and wheeled you to the door of the plane. He helped you stand up and slowly walk to your seats. 

“First class? Jake, I told you not to buy first class tickets!” you said as he helped you sit down in the window seat.

“Scold me later darlin’. I have to get our bags.”

He disappeared for a moment to grab your bags and the wheelchair from next to the plane’s entrance. After he stowed them away he sat next to you smirking. You shook your head and tried your best not to smile. You had a feeling you were going to get spoiled while you stayed with him, especially since you didn’t have much to bring. You only had a carry on as you packed light while you were deployed again. Luckily your friend Maria and her husband were able to find a babysitter long enough to pack up some more of your clothes and mail them to where Jake’s house was. Until your things arrived you would have to go out and buy whatever else you needed.

The two of you were quiet, a comfortable silence falling. Shortly after the plane leveled out you had fallen asleep. Jake leaned over and closed the window slightly to make it darker for you. It was still early in the morning and you were very tired. You looked so beautiful and he couldn’t help but watch your breath rise and fall. He let you sleep until the flight attendants came by offering cookies and water. Gently, he prodded you awake and handed you your cookies, which you happily ate. For the rest of the plane ride the two of you talked, enjoying each other’s company.

Before you knew it, you were off the plane and Jake was steering you through the crowds of people. You were glad that he knew his way around the San Antonio International Airport. It didn’t seem too confusing to navigate, but the business made it hard for you to see where to go. 

“Where are we meeting the uber?” you asked.

Jake didn’t say anything.

You craned your neck to look at him. “Jake?”

He looked down at you. “It’s not an uber”

“What do you mean?” “My parents are picking us up”

Your heart stopped at the thought of meeting his parents. Frantically, you grabbed your phone and pulled out the camera to try and fix your hair. You wanted them to have a good impression of you. Why am I freaking out? We aren’t even dating! 

Jake pulled the wheelchair and the luggage to the side. He walked so that he was facing you. “Why are you fixing your hair?”

Your face flushed as you said, “I like to look nice when I meet new people Jake”

“You do look nice. You’re beautiful”

Hearing him say you looked beautiful felt amazing. You couldn’t help but smile as your stomach flipped and your heart skipped a beat.

He walked back around and continued leading you both out of the airport as he said, “I’m the one who should be nervous. You’re the first girl I’ve brought home since… I think since highschool”

Before you could reply a blonde woman was shouting Jake’s name. 

“Jake? Is that you?”

“Hey mama” he said as he parked your wheelchair and gave her a hug.

“Here son, let me take your luggage” said an older man in cowboy boots. He had to be Jake’s dad. Besides the fact that his hair was brown he and Jake were almost identical.

“Thanks dad”

His mom brightly smiled at you and nudged Jake in the arm. “Aren’t you going to introduce us?”

Jake nodded, “yes, sorry. Y/n, this is my mom, Sadie, and my dad, Charles. Mom, Dad, this is y/n. She’s a pilot too.”

His mom rolled his eyes, “Jacob. We know she’s a pilot too.” She turned her attention towards you and gave you a big hug. “We have heard so much about you. He never stops talking about you!”

“Mom,” Jake interrupted, hoping she wouldn’t reveal too much.

“I am so glad I finally get to meet you”

You laughed at her comment. “It’s nice to meet you too”

“Alright Sadie, we better get going. The truck is not parked legally” said Jake’s dad, Charles.

Jake wheeled you out and helped you into your seat in the back of the truck as his dad loaded the bags into the cab. He got into the back next to you and soon you were all on the road.

“So how was the flight?” Sadie asked.

“It was good,” Jake replied.

“Have you ever been to Texas y/n?” asked Charles.

You shook your head. “This is my first time”

“Oh how exciting!” Sadie exclaimed. “We’ll have to take her to a rodeo before the summer is over.”

Jake laughed, “that could be very fun”

“Are you two coming over for lunch?” 

Jake looked at you, signaling that the choice was yours. You nodded your head yes causing Jake to smile.

“Yeah we can come for a bit”

“Good,” Sadie said. 

For the rest of the hour-long car ride you all got to know each other. You learned that Jake’s two sisters, Anna, and Daphne were already cooking up a big lunch to celebrate Jake coming home. Anna’s husband, Greg, was grilling three kinds of meat. You also learned that Jake’s birthday was next week.

“What kind of cake do you want Jakey?” asked Sadie.

“I don’t need a cake,” he protested as his face got red.

“Nonsense! You need a cake!”

Jake sighed in defeat before replying that he wanted a carrot cake.

“Wouldn’t have pegged you for a carrot cake kind of guy” You teased him

He shrugged, “It’s a hidden gem.”

“I guess it is a hidden gem,” you laughed.

He looked at you with a bright smile, ‘I’m pretty good at finding them.” 

You smiled at his comment and looked down at your hands, the eye contact making you nervous. Does he mean me? In the front of the car, his parents exchanged knowing looks and smiles.

“Alright.” started Charles, “We have arrived.”

The car slowed and turned onto a long driveway. There were large trees along the drive, they were the kind of trees that were planted generations ago, for someone else to enjoy. A large ranch style house came into view. It was a rusty color, complemented by the copious bushes and flowers planted in the long. This house, the one where Jake grew up, was perfect. It was so unlike the tiny house in a crowded neighborhood that you and your grandfather lived in. 

“This is beautiful,” you said.

Sadie gave her gratitude as the car parked. Jake grabbed the wheelchair and helped you get into it. 

“Thank you,” you told him.

“Anything for you”

Charles shouted from the porch, “I set up a ramp to get up the porch’

“Perfect”

“I put one in your house too”

“Oh thanks dad, that’ll make things easier”

Jake carefully wheeled you up the porch and into the house. The second that you were inside his two sisters were in front of you

“Finally! I’m so happy you’re here!” said a short blonde woman.

“Daphne calm down, you’re going to scare the poor girl away!” Exclaimed the slightly older woman, who you assumed was Anna.

Daphne stepped back slightly, giving you some room. 

“I’m Anna, and this is Daphne, the crazy one”

“I am not crazy!” Daphne protested.

Anna laughed, “tell that to Jake’s girl! You accosted her!”

The words Jake’s girl rang in your ears as your heart quickened. You were beginning to think that maybe he felt the same. Maybe the reason his family was so excited to see you was because he told them he liked you. 

Those same words were also replaying in Jake’s head. He told his family how much he liked you, but he also told them not to tell you that. He was starting to panic and worry that they were going to tell you how much he loved you and ruin everything. 

“Anyways,” Jake said, trying to get his sisters to act like normal people. “Mom said that there would be lunch”

Anna nodded. “Yes, Greg is grilling up the last of it. Jake, why don’t you go and set the table while we get to know y/n!”

“Yes, Jake! Go do that” Daphne agreed as she pushed him towards the kitchen as Jake tried protesting.

“How about a house tour while we wait?” Anna suggested.

“Um… sure” you said.

You followed them as they showed you around the ranch. They stopped at Jake’s childhood room which had been left untouched since he moved out. The room was painted a slate grey with blue accents all over. Posters of airplanes and cowboys covered the walls. 

“So,” Daphne started. “How do you feel about staying with Jake?”

You turned towards her and said, “well I am a little nervous. But he’s a gentleman so I think it’ll be good”

Anna laughed. “A gentleman? That's the first time I’ve heard him described that way”

Before she could say anything more, Greg and Jake were calling them over to eat lunch. The food was delicious and you loved talking to Jake’s family. From the moment you met his parents and sisters you couldn’t help but envy him. Sure, you loved your grandfather, but Jake was so lucky to have parents and sisters who loved him. His family and life was beautiful. You already had feelings for Jake which were making your stay with him complicated, and now your love for his family added on to it. 

But you and Jake were both getting tired. So, after lunch the two decided to leave. Charles started up the truck so he could drive you to Jake’s house. After Jake helped you into the truck his sisters were calling him back to talk. 

When Jake walked back to where his two sisters were he knew they were going to talk to him about you. 

“We really like her, Jake. You better not mess this up” Daphne told him.

Jake shook his head. “She doesn’t see me that way, I told you all that already.” “Jake Seresin, are you blind?” Anna scoffed. “That girl is head over heels in love with you!”

He glanced back at the truck where you were sitting, scrolling on your phone. A sigh escaped his lips before he returned his gaze to Anna and Daphne.

“I don’t know,” he said.

“If you don’t tell her I will” Daphne said.

Jake’s eyes opened wide. “You can’t do that!”

“Why not?” Anna asked.

“Because she’s injured and she’s staying at my house! I don’t want her to think I’m taking care of her only because I want to get in her pants or something! What if she thinks I’m trying to take advantage of her? ”

Anna and Daphne shared a look. “I guess that's true,” Anna said.

“How about we make a deal?” Daphne asked.

“What is it?”

“If you don’t tell her once she's feeling better than I get to do it”

He let out a deep sigh as he looked at his shoes, skating his head. “I should say no”

“But you’re not going to,” Anna predicted.

Jake shook Daphne’s hand, thereby sealing their deal. He then hugged them goodbye and walked towards the truck. What did I just agree to? He thought to himself as the truck started moving down the road. From the moment you agreed to come home with him he had turned into a ball of nerves, and now that his sister was determined to tell you about how he felt, his stomach was doing backflips. He wanted you more than anything in the world, but he didn’t want you hearing that from someone else. If you were finally going to be his, he wanted it to happen the right way. 

From the passenger seat he glanced back to where you were sitting. You were looking out the window at the unfamiliar Texas landscape, your attention never wavering from the trees and the bushes. Even though he’d prefer to stare at your beautiful face forever, he turned away to look at the road. The short drive to his house was almost over, meaning that you two would be alone. He would have to keep his nerves and his lust for you at bay if he was going to make it. 

“Alright you two” Charles said as he pulled into Jake’s driveway. “We are here”

“Thanks for the ride” you said

“Oh no problem.” 

Once the truck was parked the two men hopped out. Charles began unloading the bags out of the truck. Jake grabbed your wheelchair and set it up as you carefully lowered yourself out of the truck with your good arm. His hand wrapped around the side of your waist to steady you. 

“Sorry my dad’s truck is so high up” he apologized as you were steadily standing on your good leg. His hand never left your waist and his head was bent towards yours. Your breath hitched in your throat at the closeness, and you didn’t know what to say. His gaze dropped from your eyes down to your parted lips. He gently squeezed your waist and then moved his hand to hold the small of your back which ever so slightly caused you to inch closer. The sound of the truck bed closing pulled you both away from each other. 

Jake coughed as you sat in the wheelchair and took a deep breath. He grabbed a few bags from his dad and then walked up the newly installed ramp to unlock the door. Jake walked back over to push you in the house. Just like his parents, Jake owned a ranch, but his was much smaller. However, unlike his parent’s house, it wasn’t very cozy. He didn’t own very much and it was very basic and bare. You were lucky enough to have been stationed at the base in North Carolina for a couple years, so your home was cozy and lived in. But Jake clearly was stationed in different places often and was rarely home. 

You felt bad for him. It was nice to have some stability, which was very rare for people in the military. But for someone like Jake, who had a family that adored him and was anxiously waiting for him to come home, it must be hard to constantly be gone. You pushed the thoughts away as Jake beckoned you to follow him to the guest room. 

His dad was already there setting down your carry on. He said goodbye to the both of you and left the house. 

“So this is the guest room” Jake said as he scratched the back of his neck. “I know it’s pretty small but-”

“It’s great Jake. I really appreciate everything you’re doing for me”

He smiled at you sweetly, like you were the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. Because you were. His heart was beating out of his chest and every time he looked at you it got worse. You were the sun, the moon, and everything in between. 

“I’d do anything for you” he stated. He wasn’t saying this or doing all of this just to be nice or because he had some motive. Everything he was doing was simply because he wanted to take care of you. If you asked him to move a mountain he would do it without hesitation or complaint.

His words, which were said so matter-of-fact, made your stomach knot together. Your breaths became shallow under his warm gaze. He truly was too handsome and too kind for your own good. So unlike the cocky, and selfish pilot you met him as. 

He finally broke eye contact to show you the closet, as well as the rest of the house. His room was just a tiny walk down the hall. It was made clear that if you needed anything at all, he would get it. All you had to do was say his name and he’d be there by your side.

Once again, you thanked him, and he told you that he’d do it a thousand times over. Your face was burning hot when he told you that he was going to get changed and make some dinner. You decided to take a bath while you waited and used an old crutch Jake had found from when he was in high school to make your way to the bathroom. As you ran the bath, you unloaded your little toiletry bag and wrapped your casts in bags. Carefully you lowered yourself and took the time to relax and compose yourself before you would face him again. 

It had only been one day with him and already you knew you wouldn’t last. All you could think about was his smile, and his hair. But what kept your breath ragged and your heart quick was the way that he was so gentle and tender, the way his strong arms held you when you needed it. The way that his breath fanned against your neck earlier that day outside the truck. It was all too much, and you were sure you would burst into a million sparks. 

Jake went into the kitchen after he had changed into fresh clothing. He opened his fridge and cabinets and found groceries that his mother no doubt bought for him. As he grabbed ingredients to make tacos he made a mental note to text her a thank you note he heard the bath running from the bathroom. His eyes fluttered shut as he imagined you soaking in the tub with nothing but suds covering you. Gripping the counter to steady himself, he took a deep breath and cursed himself out. If he was going to do this the right way then he had to control the way the curves of your body made his mind wander. 

He was almost done with the tacos when the bathroom door opened. Quickly, he glanced over to see you carefully limping to the guest room in the tiniest shorts known to man. His jaw fell slack and it took him a few moments to remember his vow to be gentlemanly. 

“Are you all good?” he asked, trying to remember you were here because you were injured, not because he was going to ravage you.

You reached the door and told him you were all good and that you were just going to put away your clothes. He let you know that dinner would be done in about five minutes. This meant that he had five minutes to get his mind under control. He took deep breaths as he focused on warming up the soft taco shells. 

The noise of a chair loudly skidding across the kitchen floor told him that you were sitting down at the table. He set down everything needed to assemble the tacos on the table and then grabbed you both waters as you made yourself tacos. As you dug in you made the most delicious noise that Jake had ever heard in his life. 

“Mmm” you moaned. “This might just be one of the best tacos I have ever had in my life”

Jake clenched his jaw as he watched you lick your lips. “Why thank you darling”

You smiled at the nickname and felt butterflies. He took a bite of the food, hoping to distract himself from the fact that he would much rather be eating you. But absolutely nothing could get his mind off of everything he wanted to do with you.

This was going to be the hardest couple months of his life….

Jake stood completely still. He and all the other pilots were on the aircraft carrier waiting to hear the mission details one last time. But Jake was barely keeping it together. He wasn’t even going on the mission, and yet his stomach was in knots. Fear for his fellow pilots was eating at him, as well as a worry that someone wasn’t going to come home. Warlock’s voice interrupted his heavy thoughts.

“Your target is a clear, and present threat.” Warlock’s voice boomed across the carrier. “A secret uranium enrichment site under rogue state control. It’s an underground bunker, tucked between these two mountains. The route of ingress is heavily defended by surface-to-air missiles, backed up by fifth generation fighters. Once your F-18 strike team crosses the border, tomahawk missiles from USS Leyte Gulf will launch a synchronized strike on the enemy’s airfield, here.”

Jake tried his best to pay attention to what Warlock was saying. He needed to pay attention, but all he could think about was you. How you should be flying this mission instead of stuck in the hospital. He took a deep breath and tried once more to focus. 

“This will knock out their runway, but you’ll have to contend with any planes already in the air. The moment those tomahawks hit, the enemy will know you’re coming. Your time to target will be 2 minutes and 30 seconds. Any longer than that, and you will be exposed to any enemy aircraft the tomahawks may have missed.” Warlock finished.

“This is what you all have been training for. Come home safely” Cyclone said. 

All the pilots made their way to the tarmac to prepare for takeoff. The sun was beating down on everyone, which did nothing to help the situation. Jake stood on the tarmac and wished his fellow pilots good luck. Rooster walked up to the blond and stopped. The two men stared at each other for a moment before Jake said, “you give ‘em hell”. Bradley looked petrified, he was scared and Jake knew it. He needed encouragement if he was going to succeed. Jake walked away, leaving Rooster to sit with his thoughts. 

Jake and the other pilots who were on the support team got up into their planes, ready to be called into action if needed.

“Dagger spare standing by” Hangman announced.

Once the dagger squad was up in the air and on their way, the tomahawks were launched from the carrier. Jake saw in his jet and listened closely to what everyone said over the comms. He was on the edge of his seat, a pit forming in his stomach as they all entered the canyon. 

“Dagger Comanche, we’re picking up two bandits,” the Overwatch crew warned.

Jake sucked in a breath, knowing that the two pilots would soon close in once the airfield was hit. Maverick told the squad to increase speed. They needed to get to the target before the bandits could reach them. A confirmation for the destruction of the airfield was announced as well as a warning that the bandits were moving to defend the target.

Payback urged Rooster to pick up speed, otherwise they would never make it. Jake shook his head. He knew Brashaw would go too slow, risking the lives of everyone else. Luckily, over the comms someone announced that Dagger 2 was reengaging. Bradley was picking up the pace. Thank god, Hangman thought.

As Maverick and Phoenix stated they were popping and about to aim for the target Jake shifted in his seat. If they didn’t make the shot, the whole mission would be a bust. Thankfully, Bob cheered as they were able to get a direct hit. Jake let out a cheer. He was starting to feel like maybe everyone would really make it out alive and successfully hit the target. But that would all depend on Rooster, who had just popped.

“Deadeye! Deadeye!” Fanboy shouted. Without being able to aim it would be basically impossible to hit the target.

Rooster shouted in reply, “Dropping blind!” and a few moments later he was announcing that the target was hit. 

Once again, Hangman cheered for his teammates. They had completed a miracle, and now all they had to do was come home. But, he knew they would have to defend themselves from the enemy SAMs on their ascent. All he could hear was the various shouting as the squadron defended themselves. He could make out Rooster shouting that he was out of flares, meaning he was vulnerable to the missiles, and likely to be hit. 

“Mav- no!” Rooster cried

“Dagger one is hit! I repeat, Dagger one is hit! Maverick is down!” Phoenix shouted.

“Does anyone see him?”

“I didn’t see a parachute” Payback said

“We have to circle back!”

An order came through the comms, “All daggers flow to ecp. You have bandits headed for you”

“What about Maverick?”

“Dagger spare, request permission to launch a fly air cover” Jake pleaded. He knew they’d need help getting out of this situation.

“Negative spare”

Jake threw aside his mouth piece. This was ridiculous. The dagger squad needed help, Maverick needed help. If he could just get up there then he could help bring them home.

“Daggers you are not to engage. Repeat. Do not engage.”

“Rooster. Maverick’s gone”

Everyone was begging Rooster to leave, but before Jake knew it he heard the words, “Dagger two is hit.” He sat there listening in disbelief. Had Bradshaw really gotten himself shot down on purpose? 

“Dagger spare, request permission to launch!” Jake shouted.

“Negative”

He hit the window with his hand. Two good men were going to die or be taken as prisoners and nobody in charge seemed to care. Jake sat there in his jet, waiting for an order. It felt like hours passed by when he heard Overwatch make a report.

“Dagger Comanche reporting an F-14 Tomcat is airborne and headed towards the carrier. I repeat, an F-14 is headed your way”

Jake perked up at what he was hearing. There was only one person who could be flying that plane. It was Maverick, and Rooster was likely to be with him.

“Dagger Comanche reporting two bandits still in the air. I repeat, two fifth generation planes are in the air.”

“Fuck” Jake sighed. They would need a miracle to make it past those fighters alive.

“Comanche reporting. The F-14 has engaged the fifth generation planes. One fifth generation aircraft is down”

Although they were somehow able to take one plane down, they needed help. 

“Dagger Spare, requesting permission to launch air assist” Jake pleaded.

After five painstakingly long seconds Jake was given the affirmative. He was in the air in record time and speeding his way towards them. They were still ten minutes away from the carrier and would need to hold on. Maverick was able to take down the second bandit, but Jake was set on giving him an escort back to the carrier.

When he was halfway to Maverick and Rooster he heard Overwatch confirm that the second bandit was down. Shortly after he heard a voice come in over the radio.

“Roughrider, this is Dagger one and Dagger two. We have repossessed an enemy F-14. Splash two bandits. Inbound heading south towards your position. Hold your fire.”

The safety that Maverick and Rooster had was short-lived. Overwatch warned them that a third bandit was making its way towards them. They wouldn’t be able to outrun or take this plane down. Over the radio, Jake heard Maverick telling Rooster where the ejection handles were and when to pull them. On the horizon, he could see the F-14 climbing, trying to get altitude, and the enemy bandit closing in. 

Jake was able to lock in on the enemy and launch his missiles. Just as the bandit began launching their own missile at Maverick and Rooster, it exploded. Flying through the flames, Jake came out the other side to see his two friends safe.

“Good afternoon, ladies and gentleman, this is your savior speaking. Please fasten your seatbelts, return your tray tables to their upright and locked position and prepare for landing.” 

Rooster laughed over the radio. “Hey, Hangman. You look good”

“I am good Rooster, I’m very good”

Jake escorted the two back to the carrier and landed. After everyone was safe and out of their planes the entire carrier erupted in cheers. Maverick and Rooster shared a hug, and even Jake found himself hugging his fellow pilots. He could honestly say that for the first time in his life he felt like he was truly a part of a team. But, he was most happy about the fact that everyone was home safe and that the mission was a success. 

A grueling day and a half passed before the carrier made it back to the shore. After the mandatory check ups and paperwork was completed Jake took a well deserved shower and rushed to see you. It had been four days since he last saw you and all he wanted was to see you smile and laugh, to bask in the glow that was you.

On his way to your room in the hospital, Jake ran into your grandfather. 

“Hello,” your grandfather said. Even though he had a hard time remembering things, he seemed to recognize Jake.

“Good to see you again sir. How are you?”

“I’m doing good.”

“And y/n?”

“Won’t stop talking about you” your grandfather said while laughing.

“All good things I hope”

He nodded, “very good things. Well, you go talk to her. I have to go to bed”

The two men said their goodbyes and Jake watched as your grandfather’s nurse assisted him down the hall. He walked into your room to see you reading the book he left for you. It seemed as though you were very invested as you didn’t even notice he had walked in until he sat down.

“Jake! You’re back!” you exclaimed, a wide smile appearing on your face. The book was forgotten and you turned your body to give him your full attention.

“Well, I couldn’t stay away from my favorite pilot”

You blushed, “Oh please. How was the mission?”

“It was… eventful”

You gave him a puzzled look. “Eventful?”

He dove into telling you all about what had happened, sparing no details. You were on the edge of your seat the whole time. The mission sounded awful, with things going wrong left and right. You were glad it ultimately was successful but it still sucked that Maverick and Rooster were shot down.

“So you saved the day?” you asked.

He nodded his head, not even opening his mouth to brag.

“Wow Hangman, I’m impressed.” 

“What can I say?” he shrugged. “I’m a changed man”

You smiled, “you really are”

He kept his gaze on you, a gentle expression painting his face. The setting sun lit up his hair, making it shine golden. He looked angelic, and happy.

“y/n” he whispered.

“Yes?”

He briefly looked at his hands before looking back up at you. “You have to know…I’ve changed for you. Everything i’ve done, everything i’ve been doing and will do… it’s all been for you”

Your breath hitched in your throat. “Jake I- um… I don’t know what to say”

“That’s ok. You don’t have to say anything”

You nodded your head and twiddled with your thumbs.

Jake broke the silence, “you know they’re giving everyone three months of mandatory paid leave as a reward for the mission.”

“Really? That’s very generous”

“Yeah, it just kind of sucks. I’ve been enjoying being back on the Island. But it’ll be nice to go back to Texas.”

“I’m not really sure what I’ll do when I’m discharged”

“What do you mean?”

You sighed, “Well, I don’t think I could last the flight from California to North Carolina with all these casts. And I can’t exactly walk.”

“Do you have any family out there?” Jake asked.

You shook your head. “I only have my grandpa, but he moved to North Island the first time I was at Top Gun, and then he got sick, and his memory is going… it would be too much on him to move again. My best friend Maria is in North Carolina but she just had a baby. I couldn’t ask her to take care of me”

Jake grabbed your hand and gently squeezed it.

“Do you think you could last a two hour long flight?” he asked.

You shrugged

“This might sound crazy but, would you come to Texas with me? I could take care of you until you’re out of the casts and don’t need a wheelchair or crutches to get around.”

Going with Jake to Texas was a crazy idea. But he was so eager to take care of you. Besides, your grandfather or Maria would not be able to take care of you. Jake truly was your only option. If you tried to go home alone and manage by yourself you were sure to get hurt, the stairs in your house would not mix well with the wheelchair.

“I’ll go with you.”

Two days after the accident, Cyclone took over the training. It seemed like he blamed Maverick for what had happened to Coyote, but especially for what had happened to you. Of course, both of those incidents were out of his control but that didn’t matter.

However his style of training would prove to be the death of everyone flying on the mission. Cyclone changed the parameters of the mission, making it much more dangerous. He ordered that the pilots fly slower, higher up and get to the target later. Everyone protested, they all knew that would expose them to enemy SAMs or the fifth generation flyers waiting for them. There were now only 10 days until the mission, and everyone was unprepared. 

All the pilots were expressing their concerns about the new parameters when Maverick started flying. His plane was on the screen and he set his time to 2 minutes and 15 seconds. Nobody was sure that he would be able to do it, but he proved them all wrong. He flew through the course perfectly and was even able to drop his two bombs into the bullseye. 

“Damn” Hangman said upon seeing Maverick’s success.

Although Maverick proved that the mission could be completed in the way he intended, he also got himself into trouble. Cyclone cut off the day early, leaving Hangman with nothing to do. 

For about twenty seconds Hangman sat in his room and read. He was trying to distract himself from thinking about you, but it wasn’t working. Phoenix told him to wait longer before seeing you, but he just couldn’t do it anymore. He marched his way to the med bay and then to your room. Before entering he braced himself for what he was about to see. There was no way you looked worse than you did when you were hanging in that tree, but he was still scared. 

Slowly, he walked in. You weren’t awake, which probably was better so you didn’t see how concerned he was. Your left leg and right wrist were in casts. A bandage was around your head, hiding the gash you had. Dark circles under your eyes showed how tired you were. 

As he sat down in the chair beside your bed a nurse walked in to update her charts.

“Hello,” the nurse said. 

“Hi,” Hangman replied sadly.

“Are you family?”

He shook his head

“Boyfriend?”

“No,” he sighed.

The nurse nodded her head in understanding. “Well, maybe you can be one day”

He looked up at the nurse who winked at him. It was her way of telling him that you were going to get better. Honestly, even though he didn’t believe he would get a chance with you, he was relieved that you were going to be ok.

Just then, someone else walked into the room, a man he had never seen before. It was an older man probably in his 80s that came in as well as a young man.

“You must be the grandfather” the nurse said.

“That’s right, miss,” he said. “How is she?”

The nurse looked at Hangman and signaled for him to leave the room so she could talk to your grandfather. The young man accompanying your grandfather waited outside. He was wearing a nurse uniform that read Starfish Senior Nursing Facility. This man was definitely your grandfather's caregiver. Starfish was one of the best nursing homes in the country, known for actually treating patients with dignity and compassion. But it cost a fortune too. After a few minutes the nurse exited the room.

“He’s asking to speak with you” The nurse told Hangman before walking down the hall.

Jake took a deep breath before reentering the room, the caregiver followed him in but stayed quiet. Your grandfather looked up at Jake from his spot next to you. Apprehension and nervousness took over the blond. Jake didn’t know what your grandfather would say to him, and he didn’t even know what he’d offer as an explanation about his presence. Hello sir, I have been in love with you granddaughter for the last five years but she hates me. He hoped this wouldn’t be awful.

“Hello, I’m Frank.” your grandfather said, “I’m sorry, have we met before? I’ve been having a hard time remembering things lately.”

“No sir, we haven’t met. I’m Jake, I work with your granddaughter.”

Frank nodded and looked over to you. He stared at your unmoving form before turning back to Jake. “This is my little girl. Raised her since she was… five? Can’t remember…” he trailed off and sighed. “I’m so glad they said she’ll recover.”

Jake felt relieved at those words, but also curious. He didn’t know that you were raised by your grandfather. It explained why he was the only one here, but it also meant that he didn’t know you as well as he thought he did. He also couldn’t help but wonder if you paid for Frank’s care. Military life would make it impossible for you to take care of him so you had found the best place possible.

“Did they say if she would wake up?”

Frank looked at Jake, “Yes… it’s not a coma. Just exhaustion but… might be a day”

Jake nodded in understanding. All he wanted was for you to wake up and talk to him, but he was ok with waiting awhile. Your grandfather said nothing more, only sat and watched your shallow breaths. Eventually, curiosity got the better of the old man.

“Are you good friends with her?” he asked.

Jake looked down, “not really. I wish we were.”

Frank nodded and was silent once more. An hour of silence went by when the caregiver finally spoke up. 

“Frank, we have to go back home now. You need your medicine”

“Ok, but we’ll be back tomorrow right?”

The caregiver thought for a moment, “you have to get a checkup tomorrow, but we can come the day after.”

Frank agreed and slowly the two men made their way out of the room. The sun was starting to say goodbye to the world and a soft orange glow settled on your face. It made the bruises and dark circles disappear and you looked peaceful. Jake knew he couldn’t stay forever though, he had an early day tomorrow. Soon, the mission would arrive, and he needed to train in case he was picked. But it pained him to leave you alone. What if you woke up? He couldn’t bear the thought of you waking up alone and in pain. 

Tentatively, he made his way to your side and gently placed a soft kiss on your forehead. 

“I’ll be back tomorrow y/n. Keep fighting please, I wanna see your smile”

He forced himself to leave and return home. All night he tossed and turned, sleep refusing to take him. The next few days were a blur. He’d wake up, train and rush to the hospital to see you. But you didn’t wake up. So he’d go home, struggle to sleep and do it all over again. 

Now the mission was in two days. Tomorrow, Maverick would pick who would be a part of the Dagger Squad. Jake hoped he would be made wingman, but deep down he knew it would be Bradley. To pass the time until he had to leave your side, he read. It was a historical romance book he had once seen you reading. To his surprise, he enjoyed it. The leads even reminded him of the two of you. 

A steamy portion of the book had just started, making him blush. But his close reading was cut off when he heard a cough. Quickly, he set the book down, not even caring to mark his page. You were waking up, that was all that mattered. He got up from his seat and stood close next to you. 

Your eyes were narrowly open and every time you took a breath it hurt. Every time you looked around, you were seeing in slow motion, your eyes struggling to catch up with your brain. When the double vision began to clear, the first thing you noticed was that you had a cast on one leg and one arm. Then you noticed the IV line coming out of your arm. Lastly, you noticed that someone was standing next to you. They were a bit blurry, but you could see the gold rush of hair as the person shifted around.

“Jake?” you croaked out.

He smiled and let out a sigh of relief. “Yeah, it’s me. I’m here”

You didn’t know where you were or what had happened. Everything was fuzzy and confusing.

“Do you want water?” he asked.

You nodded your head and looked around. Diligently, he got you a glass and gently helped to prop you up. 

“What happened?” you questioned after you drank some water. 

He sighed deeply, “it was a bird strike. You– it was a bad crash.”

“Oh.”

“Let me go get the nurse.” He slipped out of the room and you were alone. Memories began trickling in as you looked out towards the sky. Maverick yelling at you to eject, the crash of the plane, the crack of branches and the crush of your bones. Your body was still in pain, so sore and bruised. The memories were pulling you in, threatening to drown you. Muffled voices poked into your consciousness. But it was only when someone grabbed your hand that you snapped back into reality. It was Jake.

“The nurse is here” he said, eyes wide with concern.

You nodded and tried to pay attention to the nurse. The check up didn’t take long, but you wished that none of this ever happened. The nurse told you that you were doing better and that she wasn’t worried at all about your recovery. But she made it clear that you were grounded for at least three months, if not more. You would need physical therapy and probably would need to retrain your body if you ever were going to fly again. Deep down, you worried that you’d be honorably discharged and would never touch an F-18 again.

After the nurse left Jake squeezed your hand. “It’ll be ok” he reassured you.

You shook your head and fought tears, “no it won’t be”

“What do you mean? She said you’ll recover-”

“Jake. Did the mission happen?”

“It’s in two days”

You wiped a tear away, you felt embarrassed that he was seeing you like this. But, he didn’t think less of you, his heart broke to see you cry, to see you hurt and so unlike yourself. 

“I should be flying that mission and instead I’m stuck in this bed for who knows how long? And as soon as I’m out of here the Navy will probably discharge me and I’ll never-”

He grabbed your hand, “stop honey. We don’t know what’s going to happen. And you’re right, you should be flying this mission. But you need to focus on getting better. The sooner you heal, the sooner you’re out of here and back in the air, ok?”

You refused to look at him. Part of you was upset he was even here. Someone else probably sent him here. Tears kept flowing even though you tried your best to stop crying. But your pain, anger and frustration were too present in your mind.

Jake gently grabbed your chin and turned your head to look at him. “It’s going to be ok. You’re going to fly again, I promise.”

You shook your head and softly murmured, “you can’t promise me that.”

Jake sighed. You were so stubborn, it was frustrating. 

“Why are you even here Jake?” you asked. Your tone was mean, you didn’t mean it to be though. It was just hard to sound anything other than mean in a situation like this. 

“I’ve been worried sick about you.”

“Why?” you questioned. You couldn’t help it, too curious for your own good.

Jake smiled softly. He had spent years denying- no, hiding - how he felt for you. But the thought of telling you right now, saying I’m in love with you, was terrifying. Instead he opted for a different statement.

“I care about you.” It was true, even if it didn’t convey as much as the word love did. But he was sure you’d never feel the same, there was no point in heartbreak. 

You didn’t say anything in reply, but your face got hot and the monitor told both of you that your heart was beating faster. Once again, you looked away from his green eyes. It was all becoming too much. Between the crash, the pain, not being able to fly, and now Jake’s presence forcing you to feel everything for him you’d spent years shoving down, it was overwhelming. If he left then you could continue pretending that you hated him. But then you’d be alone. 

Truthfully, you didn’t want him to go. Even though you were convinced that he would never feel the same, you wanted him to stay. Over the last few weeks he had truly changed, become better. And he had done it for you. It only made you fall for him more of course, but you could handle that. You’d been handling that for five years. Selfishly, you wanted to pretend that he was yours, and that he would sit with you until you were better. 

After a few minutes of awkward silence, Jake spoke up “Well, I’m sure you’re sick of me. I’ll get out of your hair and let you rest”

“Ok” you said, immediately regretting it.

He tried his best to hide the sting of rejection. You didn’t want him here, you never would. Jake collected his scattered belongings, the book, his jacket and keys. 

“Wait” you blurted as his hand was on the door. He looked back at you, hope written all over his expression.

“Yes?”

“Don’t go. Please”

He softly smiled and nodded his head. “Ok”

He sat back down in the chair next to you and set his things on a nearby table. 

“Hey, I love that book!” Finally, for the first time, you smiled, and he felt relieved.

He laughed, “I know. It was just getting intense”

“Did Lord Nettlebrooke kiss Lady Jane in the library?”

“Yes, but it was rudely interrupted by someone coughing,” he teased.

You snorted, “Oh please.”

“Now I’ll never know if they get married” He complained.

“I can’t believe you’re actually reading that book”

He shrugged. “I guess there’s more to me than you’d think”

“I guess so,” you agreed.

“Are you hungry?”

You nodded your head and Jake handed you the little food menu provided by the nurses. He helped you decide which meal would taste slightly edible. As you waited he picked out a movie he thought you might like. It was a cheesy Hallmark movie, but he figured it would help you take your mind off of everything. You picked at the food and ate as much as you could. It was all mushy and cold. 

Jake watched you eat to make sure you had enough. He was worried that the hospital food was too gross and that you’d starve. Luckily, you ate about half of the gross food. When you pushed the tray away he picked it up and set it on the counter. As he set it down, he heard you softly snore. He felt bad, you must be so exhausted. But, the sight of you peacefully sleeping was nice. It was something he wished he could see every day for the rest of his life. 

Just like the other day, he kissed the top of your head. He also fixed the blankets, making sure you were warm and turned off the TV. Jake wanted nothing more than to carry you away from there, lay you down in his bed and hold you until you were better. But he couldn’t do that. Instead, he made himself comfortable on the chair next to you and set his alarm for an ungodly hour. Sure, he probably would sleep horribly tonight, and he probably should sleep at home, but he couldn’t leave you. Not when you had asked him to stay.  

He woke up early in the morning to his alarm. Today was the day Maverick decided who was going on the mission. After trying to stretch out, he gathered his things. He took one last look at you before leaving and heading home to get ready. 

When he arrived on the base, everyone was tense and apprehensive about the upcoming decision. And yet, he was happy. You were awake, and you were ok. Phoenix noticed his oddly cheerful mood and questioned it.

“What are you so smiley about?” She asked

“Well” he started, a smirk on his face, “someone may or may not have woken up last night.”

Phoenix gasped, “Really? She’s ok right?”

Hangman nodded.

Phoenix did a happy dance before running off to tell the other pilots. The news that you were awake helped to lighten the situation. However, that didn’t last long as soon Cyclone and Warlock were calling all the pilots. Everyone crowded into a briefing room and waited for Maverick to make his decision.

“It has been an honor flying with you. Each of you represents the best of the best. This is a very specific mission, my choice is a reflection of that and nothing more.”

“Choose your two foxtrot teams,” Cyclone ordered.

“Payback and Fanboy, Phoenix and Bob”

“And your wingman?”

Maverick paused before announcing, “Rooster”

Jake knew it was going to be Rooster, he accepted that. But it still stung.

“The rest of you will standby on the carrier for any reserve role that’s required. We will be leaving today. Dismissed,” ordered Warlock.

Jake took a deep breath. He only had a few hours before the carrier would be leaving. He hurriedly packed his bags before heading to the hospital on base where you were. When he arrived at your room he hesitated. Even though he wasn’t going on the mission he was still nervous, after all, anything could happen. 

Hesitantly, he entered your room. You woke up from the sound of the door opening and closing. He tried to shut it quietly, but you still heard.

“Jake?” 

“Yeah, it’s me”

You yawned, “good. Did you finish the book?”

“Yes, sweetheart,” he said.

You noticed that he was still in the doorway, not daring to come closer.

“Did he pick you?” you asked, worry beginning to brew in your stomach.

He shook his head. “No. He picked Rooster, but we all are going as back-up. We leave in an hour and a half. I just came to say goodbye before I have to report back.”

You nodded your head in understanding. “Be careful,” you demanded.

“I will, I promise” he said, “do you mind watching the book for me while I’m gone?”

You smiled weakly, “Of course.”

Whenever he wasn’t at base, Hangman was with you. He was there when you woke up, and likely before that too. Him having to leave made you realize just how much you enjoyed his company. You were continually being forced to admit that you didn’t loathe him, and you didn’t hate him. 

“If all goes well, we should all be back in three or four days.”

“Well, I wish you all good luck” 

He smiled but didn’t say anything in reply. It seemed as if he had more to say but the door opening pulled you both away from everything unspoken.

Phoenix, Rooster, and Bob walked into the room with flowers and cards. 

“Knock, Knock” said Phoenix. 

“We’re not interrupting anything are we?” Rooster asked

You shook your head. “Nope, Hangman here was just telling me that you’re all leaving soon.”

“Yeah, we are. We decided to visit you before we had to go” Bob said

“That’s very nice of you all” you said smiling.

Phoenix came to sit next to you, “are you feeling any better?”

“I’m getting there” you reassured her.

“Good” Natasha replied

After a few minutes of everyone conversing and telling you about how sad they were that you couldn't go on the mission with them, they informed you that they had to go. If they didn’t leave soon, they would be late. Rooster, Phoenix, and Bob filed out of the room, but Jake stayed behind.

“You’re going to be late,” you told him.

“I just wanted to see if you needed anything before I went”

You smiled and shook your head. “I just need everyone to come back safely” you said, not taking your eyes off of him.

He nodded his head. “I’ll make sure they don’t do anything foolish.”

“Good.” 

“I’ll be back soon”

“I know”

He made his way to the door and opened it. Before he left he reluctantly said, “bye y/n.”

“Bye Jake.”

And with that, he was gone. The smile that had been on your face disappeared as you were left in the room. Anxiety already was building up and you knew that your worries would only grow stronger tomorrow. It killed you that you weren’t on the mission, but it was even worse that you would have no idea what was going on. Four grueling days would have to pass until someone would visit and tell you what happened. Luckily, your grandfather visited when he could, although occasionally he couldn’t remember you. The bruises, bandages, and casts made you unrecognizable sometimes. Your friend Maria called, although not very often as she was busy with her new baby. But, the company did help distract you from your worries, as did reading the book that Jake left you with.

It had been a few days since the incident between Hangman and Rooster. Things were still tense between the two of them which made the rest of the pilots tense as well. Hangman had been sticking to the slow changes in his flying and he seemed to be making progress in caring about others in the air. He didn’t show off as much and honestly it was a relief that he had your back in the air. 

However, because stress and tensions were still Maverick decided that you all need a team bonding exercise. He had said something the day before about dog fight training again but that it would be at the beach. You didn’t understand how he’d help you all with dog fighting there, but you put your faith in the seasoned pilot.

You put on a secure bikini with some shorts thrown over and headed out to the beach. When you got there it was the late afternoon and the heat had started to dissipate. Almost everyone had arrived except for Phoenix, Bob, Rooster, and Coyote. Hangman walked over to you nonchalantly as you all waited for full attendance. 

“Nice shorts” he said while trying to hide the way he checked you out. 

Feeling the heat rushing to your face you simply nodded. He was wearing nothing but shorts and seeing the sun glisten abs only added to the warm feeling you had. It must be the sun, you thought, trying to find a logical reason as to why you felt like this.

The rest of the pilots strolled up to the beach and you saw Phoenix look between you and Hangman and point it out to Bob. Oh god. Do they both think something is going on between us? In your panic at the thought you stepped away from Hangman. 

Luckily before Phoenix could comment Maverick started giving out instructions for Dog Fight Football. Apparently there would be two balls at once and both offense and defense would be happening simultaneously. According to Maverick this would mimic being in the air and encourage teamwork. 

For the first half hour of playing everyone tried their best to keep score so they could see who won. But everyone quickly gave up keeping score in favor of having fun. The sun had just started going down though, making it slightly harder to see the balls. Rooster had thrown one of them towards you and you ran down the beach to catch it. You jumped up and caught the ball, but as you descended you landed on someone and knocked the both of you onto the sand. 

“Ow” Hangman groaned as your elbow had hit his stomach. It was almost cliche that of all people to land on it was Hangman. 

“Sorry” you said sincerely while he stared up at you. Your chest was on his and both of you were breathing heavily. 

“It’s ok,” he replied with a soft smile. “The view is nice”

You laughed at his comment. A moment passed before either of you said anything. But Phoenix interrupted by yelling at you to get up so they could use the other ball. You got up and threw the ball to her before helping Jake stand up.

As he got to his feet he stood very close to you. The way he towered over you made you feel flustered. But he quickly left your side to continue playing Dog Fight Football. For the rest of the game you continued to feel flustered and nervous. You kept catching Jake glance and smile at you throughout the game. Each time you made eye contact with him you felt your heart skip a beat and your face flush. You couldn’t understand why you felt this way, you were supposed to hate him. Jake was all arrogance and self-importance who didn’t care about others. Although, he was changing… you had to admit that. 

After the game ended, you returned to base and took a cold shower. You assured yourself that it was just the sun and the exercise that had you worked up like this, nothing else. But that night you had a hard time falling asleep. Your mind was racing with thoughts of him. You realized that for the past few weeks he had been all you could think about. The thought was scary. After the horrible relationship with Sawyer you weren’t sure if you could ever trust anyone with your heart ever again. And Phoenix had made comments about how Hangman was a playboy. Surely he would just leave you heartbroken too. 

In order to protect your heart you decided that you should keep your distance. The next day you did your best to avoid his gaze and being alone with him. It had to be this way, you wouldn’t let yourself get hurt again.

Phoenix and Bob kept pestering you with questions about whether you like Hangman. Everytime you said no they both scoffed and refused to believe you. They both seemed to be convinced that you and Jake were in love with each other. How ridiculous!

A few days later you were in the hallway, taking a break from listening to the comms of everyone who was training in the air with Maverick. You were anxiously waiting until it was your turn in the air and decided you needed a breather. The mission had just been moved up. Instead of a few weeks there was only ten days until the Uranium plant would be operational. The new deadline was only adding to the stress you already felt.

Hangman followed you out into the hall with a concerned look on his face. It had been two days of you ignoring him, and he couldn’t take it anymore.

“TAG,” he started, “are you ok?”

You just nodded your head and looked at the floor.

“Don’t be nervous about the run, you’re going to do great” he said trying to reassure you.

You looked at him, causing his face to light up. “Thanks Jake.”

Suddenly you realized how much it hurt not talking to him for the past two days. But you knew getting your heart broken would hurt even more. 

He glanced around before stepping closer to you. Softly he said, “you’ve been ignoring me.”

You dropped your gaze to the floor, not wanting to look at him. He noticed what you were doing. Had you really been that obvious?

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” you said.

He sighed, “y/n. I asked you what I needed to do to get you to talk to me. I’ve been trying to change- to be a better man I-”

Before he could say anything else you both heard panicked shouts coming from inside the room. He shook his head before entering the room to see what was going on. You followed him in to hear Maverick panicking over the radio begging Coyote to wake up. He was in G-Lock and plummeting to the ground. Everyone else in the room was nervous and at the edge of their seat. Luckily, Maverick was able to get tone on Coyote, which woke him up. He lifted the plane, narrowly avoiding a crash. 

Coyote, Phoenix, Bob, and Maverick soon landed and it was your turn to fly. You Maverick, Harvard and Yale were up in the air. Skillfully, you led Harvard and Yale through the turns, making good time. But because they were going slow you reduced speed so you didn’t lose them. You dropped your missiles and missed the target. Shaking your head you tried to ignore your failure as you practiced the high G climb. It went well for you, and for Harvard and Yale. 

The planes leveled out and you all were about to turn around to return to the airstip when Maverick called out “Birdstrike!” A whole flock of birds flew at you all. Multiple birds flew into your left engine, starting a fire.

Hangman was sitting in a room with all the other pilots listening to the radio to hear what was going on. During your entire run he had been listening intently. When he heard Maverick call out the bird strike he got anxious.

He heard you say “Left engine’s on fire! Climbing”.  Jake jumped up from where he was sitting and ran to the radio. All of a sudden, his stomach was in knots and it felt like someone had stabbed him right in the heart. 

“Throttling back, shutting off fuel to the left engine.” you paused for a moment before saying, “Extinguishing Fire.”

The all knowing Phoenix immediately understood why he was so scared. “She’ll be fine,” she reassured.

However, they heard Maverick say “it’s on fire don’t start!”

But you didn’t hear him. The roar of your plane was too loud. You shouted, “throttling up”. But it didn’t work. Your engine exploded and you were sent plummeting towards the ground.

“I’m on fire!” you yelled! You stared at the screen and hit the button to extinguish the right engine.

“Oh my god” Maverick said.

“No… no this can’t be happening” Hangman pleaded after hearing the panic in your voice as well as Maverick’s. He knew you were plummeting to the ground, and here he was listening. Phoenix grabbed a hold of him as he tried to leave the room telling him there wasn’t anything he could do.

“I’m on fire!” you screamed, clearly the shock didn’t wear off yet. “Ok breathe. Extinguishing right engine” 

Jake sat back down and listened as you talked yourself through extinguishing the engine. Maybe you could save it after all?

But all his hopes were lost when Maverick shouted “Eject! Y/N Eject now!”

“I can’t control it!” You choked out. Giving up trying to save the plane, you ejected. Your body was sent flying out of the plane and you pulled on the string to launch the parachute. But by the time you ejected you were so low that the parachute didn’t help much.

Upon your crash landing in a tree you heard the crunch of branches as well as bone. Screaming in pain you tried to figure out what broke, but everything hurt. You tried to get loose, but you were stuck in the tree with the parachute holding you up. After looking up to see where the parachute was caught you started panicking even more than you already had been. It was ripped and barely tangled in the branches. If you made any harsh movements you were sure to plummet all the way to the ground, breaking more bones along the way. Besides, with what you were sure was a broken leg you definitely weren’t going to be able to climb into the tree. Your only option was to hang tight and try to ignore the horrible pain you were in. 

Tears streamed down your face as you waited for help. You tried your best to gently grab an emergency radio, but one of your arms was in agony and when you reached the other out you heard the tree branches creak. You gave up trying to reach the radio, fearing that your condition would worsen if you were sent plummeting farther down. Everything hurt, and eventually you passed out, the pain and the shock taking over your body.

In the air Maverick had watched you eject, and he saw where the plane crashed. But he paid more attention to making sure your parachute was open.

He quickly realized you didn’t have enough space between you and the ground. The parachute opened too low. When he saw that he said “we need search and rescue as well as medical”

Once Jake heard the words search and rescue he bolted out of the room and towards the runway. When he got there a helicopter was ready to take off. He forced his way in and patiently waited till they arrived in the area you crashed. He was bouncing his leg frantically and picking at his fingernails. His stomach was in so much pain and everytime he thought about you possibly being hurt, or worse- no he couldn’t think about that. God, what had you done to him? For years he had been in love with you. The first day at Top Gun when he saw you for the first time he knew. But, of course he messed it up. And then when Top Gun ended and you went your separate ways he tried to get over you, he really did. But it never worked. And now here he was, ready to jump out of a helicopter to find you. He was sure you hated him but that didn’t matter. All he cared about was finding you and getting you to safety. 

It took two hours before they finally caught sight of your parachute stuck in a tree. The woman piloting the helicopter slowly landed it. He and the medical personnel bolted out of the helicopter and towards you. They could see your parachute in the distance at the top of the tree line and followed it like the North Star.

When he saw you he almost had a heart attack. You were dangling from the tree, completely passed out. Your right leg was bent in all the wrong ways and in all the wrong places. There was a gash on the side of your head that slowly was oozing blood down your face.. He couldn’t walk any closer, couldn’t admit that this was real. Frozen in his place he watched you get cut down from the tree. The medical team set up a net to catch you in. He watched them try to find your vitals and felt sick to his stomach. If they said you were dead he was sure he’d die right then. 

Luckily, they found a pulse. You were alive, but barely. A weight was lifted off of him as they loaded you on a stretcher and into the helicopter. All he could do was stare at you and watch to make sure you were breathing. It felt like years went by before you were finally off the helicopter and being rushed to the medical bay.

Jake was standing on the runway, watching them roll you away. Suddenly it was like his feet had become bricks and his stomach had turned into cement. He wanted nothing more than to follow you to the medical bay and make sure you were ok, but he couldn’t move. His body was too heavy with his fears and dread. 

Phoenix had been the one to walk up to him. “She’s gonna be ok”

He shook his head, “you don’t know that.”

“She’s a fighter Jake, she will fight”

Jake stared at the ground fighting back the tears in his eyes.

“We’re all here for you, we know how much you liked her”

His gaze shot up to look at Phoenix. “Oh don’t act so surprised. You two are so obvious about your feelings for each other”

He laughed at her statement, “well TAG doesn’t have feelings for me. She hates my guts”

This time, Phoenix was the one laughing. “You are so blind Hangman”

He sighed and started walking towards the base with Phoenix by his side. 

“You know” he started, “I just can’t bear the thought that I never got a real chance with her, and that it’s all my fault” “What do you mean?”

“The first day I met her I made the stupidest joke because I was trying to flirt. And that got us off on the wrong foot. And then her stupid, phony boyfriend came along. I hated him. Everytime I pointed out how awful he was she defended him and we argued. And then we started arguing about everything…” 

He stopped talking, it was all too much. Had he really been so dumb for so many years? Why did he go on just letting you hate him?

“When I saw her at the Hard Deck for this mission I figured I finally had a chance. I could show her the real me but… it’s too late”

“Oh my god” Phoenix said, “She isn’t going to die”

“I hope not,” Jake pleaded.

Phoenix stopped walking to look at him. “You’re in love with her.”

Jake stopped walking too, but he didn’t turn to look at her. He sighed before saying “yeah… I am”.

Neither of them said anything, but they resumed heading into base.

“I think you should wait a few days to see her. You need to rest” Natasha told Jake. 

“You’re probably right.”

And with that they went their separate ways towards their respective rooms. He tried to sleep, to get some rest like Phoenix advised. But he just couldn’t. Everytime he got close to sleep he heard your voice, how panicked you were trying to save the plane. He saw your body hanging limp from the tree. All night he kept tossing, turning, and holding back his tears. 

Luckily, in the morning Maverick decided to give you all the day off given the events of the previous day. Jake took this opportunity to try and sleep since he got a total of zero hours of shut eye. He was able to get a few hours worth of napping in, but he kept getting awoken by a nightmare. That you died.

A few days after the cobra spiral incident, you all started training for the actual terrain that you would encounter. Maverick had just spent a long time going over what everyone had done wrong. When he got to the run Hangman and Payback did you cringed. Pete had been stressing how important it was that everyone came home, but it seemed like Hangman only cared about being better than everyone else. 

“What happened?” Maverick asked

Hangman smirked, “Well I flew as fast as I could. Kinda like my ass depended on it”

Bradley interrupted, “And… you put your team in danger and your wingman’s dead.”

“They couldn’t keep up”

Maverick scolded Hangman before moving on to talking about the run that you and Rooster had run.

“Why are you dead?” Maverick asked Rooster. “You're the team leader up there. Why are you- why is your team dead?”

“Sir” Phoenix interjected, “He’s the only one who made it to the target”

“A minute late. It gave enemy aircraft time to shoot him down. He is dead.”

“You don’t know that”

Hangman sighed, “you’re not flying fast enough. You don’t have a second to waste.”

“We made it to the target” you interjected. 

“And superior enemy aircraft intercepted you on your way out”

“Then it’s a dog fight” Rooster said

“Against fifth generation fighters?”

“Yeah, we still have a chance” Rooster defended

“In an F-18?”

“It’s not the plane sir… It’s the pilot”

“Exactly!”

You kept looking between Maverick and Rooster. You wanted to say something, to defend Bradley, but you knew this was between them.

Rooster spoke up after a few seconds of silence. “There’s more than one way to fly this mission”

“You really don’t get it. On this mission, a man flies like Maverick here… or a man does not come back. No offense intended” Hangman said, looking at Phoenix towards the end of his comment.

Bob shook his head, “and somehow, you always manage”

“Look I don't mean to criticize, you’re conservative, that’s all” continued Jake.

“Lieutenant” Maverick interrupted, desperate to end the conversation.

Jake didn’t stop talking though. “We’re going into combat, son. On a level no living pilot has ever seen. Not even him.” he said, looking at Maverick.”It’s no time to be thinking about the past”

When you saw Rooster turn towards Hangman , a pit formed in your stomach. Something awful was going to happen.

“What's that supposed to mean?”

“Rooster” Maverick begged

“I can’t be the only one that knows that Maverick flew with his old man”

“That’s enough-”

“Or that Maverick was flying when his old man-” Suddenly, Rooster was out of his seat and across the room. He shoved Hangman before you and the others could hold him back. Everyone was shouting.

“He’s not cut out for this mission. You know it. You know I’m right” Hangman said, getting the final word before leaving.

Maverick dismissed everyone from the room. You and the rest of the pilots trickled out slowly. You walked aimlessly around the base until you found a quiet spot outside to sit. Taking a deep breath you watched the sun set. The opening of a door nearby disturbed your peace and you looked to see none other than Hangman standing there. You scoffed at him and turned away.

“What?” he said

You didn’t say anything, opting to ignore him in favor of the sky. He walked towards you until he was in front of you blocking your view. Annoyed, you walked away and leaned against a wall nearby, returning your gaze once more to the sky.

“Why do you insist on avoiding me?” he asked.

You snapped your head to look at him in disbelief. “Are you serious?”

He didn’t say anything, just stood there staring at you.

“Why did you bring that up? I mean seriously” you started. “Bringing up the death of Bradley's father. And then saying he's not cut out for this mission?”

“I’m right about him” he said.

“You don’t know that Jake!”

He stepped closer, “He’s gonna get everyone killed with how slow he is.”

“And you’re not? As always you flew for yourself!”

He sighed. “I was hoping we’d be past this” he said.

“Past what? Me hating you for how self centered you are?”

He shook his head and looked away for a moment.

“Jake,” you stepped closer. The two of you were staring down at one another and you could feel his breath on your face. “Don’t you ever wonder why no one wants you to be team leader? Don’t you think everyone is terrified that you’re going to leave them for dead on this mission?”

“With the way I fly there's a better chance that no one gets hurt.”

You shook your head in disbelief, “That is so not true! Everyone was crashing when they flew with you”

“Better than being in a dogfight with Rooster, he’ll get you killed up there.” 

"I'd rather be in a dogfight with Rooster than crash because of you," You said as you poked your finger into his chest. "I can fight my way out if I need to"

"You're impossible" he said.

You scoffed at him. "Really? I'm impossible? You can't even admit how selfish you're being!"

"I'm being selfish? Why, because I don't want you to die because of Bradshaw?"

"Since when do you care?" you accused as you starting walking away from him, wanting nothing more than to be done with this conversation. He caught your arm, stopping you on the way out.

“Let go of me,” you said.

“How do I get you to talk to me instead of fighting me or acting like I don’t exist?”

You stopped and stared at him. “What?”

“What will it take?” he pleaded. His eyes were filled with sadness, a serious expression painting his features. Heat spread through your body as he stared at you. For the first time, it seemed like you were really seeing him. He looked almost scared, and couldn’t take his eyes off of you.

Finally, you answered him. “Fly for others. Not just you”

“Is that it?” 

“Take a guess Jake”

He nodded his head in understanding before letting you go and walking away. Puzzled, you stared at him as he left. Everything felt so weird. Between the mission and the way he was acting you weren’t sure if you could take it.

The next day of training was still tense but you noticed that Hangman had been different. He still was cocky in the air but he flew differently. Less inclined to only protect himself, he slowly started flying like a wingman should. The fact that this change in his behavior all started because of you felt so... strange. You two had always been at odds with one another, you just couldn’t understand why he suddenly cared what you thought. 

You did your best to ignore your weird relationship with Jake. It had been almost a week since your talk with Hangman, and you decided you needed to talk to someone about it. Bob mentioned he would pay a visit to the local public library and you asked to tag along. Although you didn’t open up to him right away about your weird experience with Hangman you eventually did. Bob had just grabbed a couple poetry books when you started telling him all about it.

“It’s just so weird Bob! I mean we’ve never gotten along. When we were in Top Gun together we argued all the time. I don’t get why he suddenly cares what I think,” you explained.

He looked puzzled , “how did the arguing start?”

“I don’t know,” you sighed. But then you thought about it. “It seems like it has always been this way. He flirted with me in a gross way on the first day at Top Gun, and then a while later when I had just started dating my ex, Hangman would make snide comments. From there it just snowballed I think.”

“Maybe he was looking out for you” Bob said, “or maybe he was jealous… or both”

You looked at Bob like he was crazy. By now the two of you were almost at the circulation desk. “Bob, there is no way that Jake liked me back then. You’re insane.”

He just laughed as he set his books down on the desk. You sighed and decided to continue this conversation later, but with Phoenix present to provide another opinion. When you returned your attention to Bob you noticed he seemed to be nervous, as was the librarian behind the desk. She had loose red curls framing her face and a bright smile. Both of them were flustered and giggling like school children. Bob had been making frequent trips to the library lately, and now you knew why. After they finished their conversation you and Bob turned to leave the library. 

You stopped him and gestured to the girl behind the desk, “go ask her out”

“Who, Anne?” He asked while shaking his head ,”I- I don’t know y/n”

“Bob, are you serious? You two obviously like each other.”

“You think so?”

“I know so. Now turn around and go get the girl”

He looked at Anne and back at you before nodding and walking back towards her. She was so pretty and seemed perfect for him, you weren’t about to let him pass up this opportunity. As he spoke you watched her already wide smile somehow get even bigger. She nodded to him and soon they were exchanging phone numbers. You felt very proud of yourself to have been able to help Bob. He was such a sweet guy, all he needed was a push. 

After Bob finalized his date plans with Anne the two of you went back to base. You were listening to him recap the story of how they met and how amazing she was and how much he liked her and how excited he was to take her out. As he was telling you about the cafe he’d be taking her to in the morning for breakfast, you turned a corner and ran into a wall.

Well, it wasn’t a wall, it was a man. The very man who had been filling your thoughts for the past week. 

You let out a small yelp as you hit him, the suddenness making you fall back. Fortunately, he caught your fall. His right hand was around the small of your back, and the left was on your arm. He steadied you so you were upright, but the contact and the closeness made you hot. Your face was burning, and your heart was hammering in your chest.

“Hey now, are you alright?” He asked

You swallowed and nodded your head, “um yeah- I’m fine”

He suddenly realized how close the two of you were, and slowly let go of you. Finally he noticed Bob standing there with a smug look on his face. Oh no, he thought to himself, he’s going to tell Phoenix about this. 

“Thanks” you awkwardly said, ripping Jake away from his thoughts.

“No problem” he nodded.

Nobody moved away from where they were and the tension only increased. Hangman was staring at you with such emotion, you just couldn’t place it. 

“Well, we’d better get back” Bob said, obviously fed up with the two of you staring at each other, “I have to go get ready for my date tomorrow.”

“Date?” Hangman questioned. He looked between the two of you, wondering if he was taking you out. If that was the case he would beat himself up forever. He lost you once before to that horrible con artist, and now he was going to lose you to Bob?

“Yeah he asked out the pretty librarian,” you answered.

Jake sighed “Oh. Of course he did, that makes perfect sense”

You squinted your eyes at him. Why was he acting so weird?

“Well congratulations Bob. I’ll uh see you guys later” he said as he started walking away.

Both you and Bob watched Jake leave. He gave you a knowing look before saying, “he likes you.”

“What? Bob there is no way he does. We hate each other!”

“That was the furthest possible thing from hate,” he said as he continued walking back to base.

“Bob! Are you serious right now?”

“y/n, I think you and Hangman like each other.”

You scoffed at him but didn’t reply. If you were being honest with yourself, you didn’t know what to say. Could you really have feelings for him? No, there was no way. Everything about him got on your nerves, you couldn’t possibly have feelings for him. Sure he was handsome and funny and he seemed to be changing, but you hated him! Right?

It had been two years since the messy break up with Sawyer, and five years since you graduated from Top Gun. You were helping Maria pick out baby clothes when you both received phone calls. Vice Admiral Beau “Cyclone” Simpson was asking you both back to Top Gun for an extremely important mission. Maria declined as she was due to have her first child in just a few short weeks, but you accepted. 

Nerves flew through you as you packed and prepared to return to the place where so many problems had started. You promised yourself that this time would be different and that you would focus strictly on the job. It was clear that the reason you and Maria were asked back to Top Gun was due to some danger. You figured that there would be a team called in to handle the likely threat. Maria and Harry dropped you off at the airport and wished you good luck and safety. 

When you arrived at the base you quickly unpacked your things and decided to make your way to the Hard Deck. You hadn’t yet seen who else was called to base and figured that you would see everyone at the bar. Your assumption was correct and when you strolled into the Hard Deck you noticed a huge group of Navy Pilots surrounding the pool table. To your dismay, Hangman was among them.

As you approached the bar you saw your old friend Bob get handed a pool stick and line up a shot. You ordered yourself a rum and coke from Penny and rolled your eyes when you heard Hangman’s voice.

“Penny my dear”

“Yup?”

“I’ll have four more on the old timer” he asked before turning to look at you.

You tried to ignore him but after a few seconds of feeling his gaze you couldn’t help but look. He looked older of course, but somehow he was even more handsome than you remembered. 

“TAG” he said

“Hangman”

He smirked, “what brings you here?”

“Take a guess, Hangman” you said while giving him a pointed look

He let out a laugh, “Cold as ever I see” he said, shaking his head.

“Only to you Seresin”

By now Penny had handed you the rum and coke, and yet you didn’t move.

He turned his head away from you for a moment before asking, “where’s the boyfriend?”

You furrowed your brows at his question, “dead I hope”

At your reply he turned back to look at you. His eyes softened and he seemed almost relieved at your answer. He opened his mouth to say something but Coyote interrupted by calling you over. 

You left him alone at the bar to join the rest of the pilots and you greeted Coyote and then Bob catching up with them both. You and Bob were in flight school together when you had just joined the Navy, and although it had been years since you’d seen him he was as nice as ever. Coyote and Bob introduced you to Phoenix, Payback, and Fanboy. 

Just then, Phoenix called out “Bradshaw! is that you?”

Everyone snapped their heads to watch him walk in.

“This is how I find out you’re stateside?” she asked

He smiled, “I thought I’d surprise you”

She playfully hit his stomach with the back of her pool stick as she made her shot. “Guess I surprised you back”

Rooster groaned before saying “it’s good to see you”

“Good to see you too,” Phoenix said.

You looked away from then to notice Hangman returning, beers in hand. 

“Bradshaw. As I live and breathe” Jake said, taking the pool stick out of Bob’s hands as he was about to make his shot. 

Sensing an imminent conversation of “my horse is bigger than yours” you internally cringed.

“Hangman. You look… good”

“Well, I am good, Rooster” he said as he lined up a shot, “very good. In fact, I am too good to be true.”

Rooster and Phoenix exchanged knowing glances. It seemed you weren’t the only one accustomed to Jake’s cockiness. 

“So…” Payback interrupted, “anyone know what this special detachment is about?”

“Well” Hangman started, “A mission is a mission. They don’t confront me. What I wanna know… Who’s gonna be team leader? And which one of y’all has what it takes to follow me?”

You laughed at his overconfident speech. 

“Hangman, the only place you’ll lead anyone is an early grave” Rooster stated.

Fanboy let out a sigh while everyone else cringed and looked to the floor. You looked at Jake, catching his attention. 

His gaze lingered on you before rebutting, “Well, anyone who follows you is just gonna run out of fuel. But, that’s just you ain’t it Rooster? You’re snug on that perch, waiting for just the right moment… that never comes.”

By this point the two men were a foot away and staring each other down. 

Changing subjects Hangman said, “I love this song” before walking away.

Phoenix and Rooster remarked on how Hangman hadn’t changed at all. The room was tense and became even more so when Fanboy noticed more pilots walking in. 

“What the hell kind of mission is this?” he asked

Phoenix shook her head, “That’s not the kind of question we should be asking. Everyone here is the best there is. Who the hell are they gonna get to teach us?”

You and all the pilots were conversing about the mission and what it could be when suddenly the music cut out. Looking around, you noticed Bradley at the piano stool messing around with the keys. Soon he and the whole bar were singing Great Balls of Fire , lightening the heavy mood. 

Some time passed and you and the rest of the pilots were able to keep spirits high. You were sitting at the bar with Natasha and Bob, joking around. For a reason unbeknownst to you, you kept looking at Jake. He was sitting by the pool table with a dejected look on his face that seemed out of place on his features. But that wasn’t the reason you were looking. Throughout the evening you couldn’t help but notice that women were throwing themselves at him. Something about it made you feel… funny. You had always known he was popular with the ladies, but you never paid attention to it since you were always with Sawyer. 

But now there was no one to give all your attention to. Sure, you were sitting with Bob and Phoenix, but they didn’t hound you for undivided attention the way your ex had. It seemed like countless women were either going up to him or planning to. Everyone was wondering what it would be like to love him. 

“This is so weird” Phoenix started, “Bagman has rejected every single girl that has come up to him”

“Huh… That is weird” Bob said.

“He’s been a playboy through and through for as long as I’ve known him. Hey TAG, when you were at Top Gun with him was he a huge flirt?”

“Um, I’m not really sure. We never really got along so I just learned to ignore him”

“I wish I could learn to ignore him” Bob said

Pheonix made a puzzled look as she thought over your comment. Even if you ignored him there was no way anyone couldn’t notice the way he flirted with women. She looked over at Jake and watched as he rejected yet another pretty girl. The whole night he seemed to be in some sort of trance. 

Conveniently she saw him glance at you and get up towards the bar where you were all sitting. He walked up next to you, his arm barely grazing your own, and ordered a drink from Penny. Phoenix watched you roll your eyes at him.

“Hangman, have you ever heard of personal space?”

He smirked and turned towards you, “My bad, TAG. I didn’t see you there.”

“Yeah right” Phoenix muttered. Even though she was quiet both you and Hangman had heard and turned to look at her. She just shrugged and sipped her beer.

Penny handed Jake his beer and he thanked her before sighing and walking away. 

Finally, Phoenix realized that he had been staring at you the entire night and pieced together that he must have feelings towards you. She decided not to share her discovery with you or Bob for the time being. 

“Are you sure you never noticed how many women he goes out with?” She asked again once Hangman had sat back down by the pool table. 

You looked over at him and shrugged, “I mean, idk Phoenix. I’ve heard him talk to Coyote about getting approached a lot, but never about dates.”

Phoenix nodded her head before excusing herself.

Hangman sighed as another girl sat down next to him. The amount of attention he was getting tonight was ridiculous. He chalked it up to having to do with it being a full moon. 

“Wow Bagman, I didn’t think you hated me that much to sigh when I sit with you” Phoenix joked

“Sorry, I thought you were-” “A thirsty admirer? Insulting.” she paused, “I couldn’t help but notice you have been staring at y/n all night”

His face went pale with shock as he looked at Phoenix in a panic. “What are you talking about? I’d never stare at her of all people” 

“Oh of course. Infamous playboy Jake Seresin isn’t going to stare at the pretty pilot across the bar” She teased

“I wasn’t staring” he defended

She laughed, “but you think she’s pretty?”

“What? Phoenix I-” “Well you didn’t disagree with her being pretty!” She said cutting him off. “It’s ok Bagman, your dirty little secret is safe with me”

Phoenix walked away with a sense of pride. She enjoyed rattling Hangman’s nerves, but especially when it involved a girl. The prospect of meddling in his affairs was especially enticing since you seemed to be the object of his affections. Phoenix relished at the thought of having entertainment not only at the bar, but also at work. All she had to find out now was if the feeling was mutual. However, her investigations would have to wait as everyone was trickling out the door and going to base. 

The first day was tense for everyone. In order to prepare the pilots for the mission they dug up a literal relic in the form of Pete “Maverick” Mitchell. His deeds and misconducts were legendary in the Navy. But you and everyone couldn’t help but notice the weird tension between Maverick and Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw. The imminent danger was also pushed to the forefront of everyone’s mind. If they had to get Maverick as the teacher, what were you all flying into?

You pushed that thought away as you watched Maverick chuck the F-18 manual into the trash. Silently, you made a promise to yourself to be a sponge and learn everything you could. Not only did your life depend on it, but so did everyone else's. Unfortunately, the presence of a certain cocky blonde was going to make the foreseeable future very difficult. The first time you were forced to be in his proximity was bad enough, but the years had only made him more cocky and arrogant. You couldn’t help but remember an argument you two had once had after a training exercise. 

It was about halfway through your time at Top Gun. The two of you were assigned as partners in dog fight training. By this point everyone was aware that Jake flew only for himself and had absolutely no concern for anyone else in the air. You dreaded being his partner, especially since he for some reason seemed to despise you. Rude looks were constantly being thrown your way by him. All of this was enough to make you angry, but his actions up in the air made you furious. 

He had been trying to show off, as usual. His plane was dodging, weaving, and rolling in the air. On a barrel roll he performed, he almost flew into the side of your plane. Upon seeing how close he was you were forced to make a quick evasive maneuver. The quick jerkiness of the movement caused you to almost crash the plane. Although you were able to recover you were seething. Both of you were ordered to ground the planes immediately. 

As soon as you were out of your cockpit and had two feet on the ground you exploded at him.

“What in the hell was that Hangman? You almost got me killed!”

“You were fine!” he shouted back as he made his way closer to you. 

“Fine? No I wasn’t. I could have died all because you wanted to show off” 

He shook his head. “Well maybe you should stay out of my way” he exclaimed, stepping closer to you. He was only a foot away and you were staring up at him with daggers shooting out of your eyes.

“Your way?” You scoffed, “I’m not the one who rolled a hundred feet into another plane!”

“I wasn’t that close to you!”

“Wasn’t that close? They ordered us to land!”

He laughed, “Maybe you weren’t listening, but they told us to land because of how you jerked your plane!”

You shook your head in disbelief and poked a finger into his chest, “All you care about is yourself! If you could stop showing off for once in your life and focus on someone else we would all be better off. Until then stop acting like you’re god’s gift to the world!” 

By now you were merely inches away from one another. His eyes were madly switching from focusing on your eyes and your lips.

“I do care about other people,” he said, his voice low and quiet. The anger that had previously been in his eyes disappeared and was replaced with something else. 

“Well then act like it”

He went to say something else but was interrupted by your commanding officer. The two of you were suspended for the next day and were not put on the same team for weeks after that. 

With that memory now fresh in your head you were positive it would be almost impossible not to argue with him again. It seemed you two either completely ignored each other or were always disagreeing. There was never an in between. 

Shaking your head, and the thoughts away as well, you focused once more on listening to everything Maverick had to say. But the more he talked, and the more you glanced at Hangman, the more anxious you felt. What had started as a pit in your stomach was quickly becoming a black hole of worry and doubt. Everything was slowly eating away at you. 

Once you were up in the air you were able to push away everything you were feeling. The best part about flying was that you were able to focus completely, everything else falling away. But that didn’t mean it was easy, especially when you were in a dog fight against Maverick. 

Every team had lost to him and had to do 200 pushups. Your arms were killing you after you finished all of your push ups. Walking to a nearby common area to rest you heard footsteps behind you. You weren’t exactly sure who it was as you didn’t see anyone else outside earlier. As you turned around you caught sight of Jake’s golden hair glowing in the sun. He was walking towards you, a slight smiling gracing his features. 

“Hey” he said as he caught up to you, slowing his pace to match yours.

“Hey” you replied. It felt weird to see him smile and try to talk to you. So far, he had been keeping his distance from you. Him casually walking up and talking to you had been unlike anything he had ever done.

“You know” he started, “even though Mav’ got tone on you, you were giving the old man a run for his money”

You looked at him and felt your face flush. “Thanks,” you replied. 

The two of you continued walking, a comfortable silence falling over you. 

“Y/N I was thinking-” he stopped himself and shook his head before restarting. “I was just gonna suggest that you should be more aggressive. Gotta trust yourself you know… you seem scared”

You slowed down and came to a stop. “Well, this mission is pretty serious”

He nodded his head in agreement, “yeah”

You kept stealing glances at him. It seemed as though he had more to say but was unsure. You decided that whatever it was it may be best left unsaid.

Eventually, the two of you made it to where all the other pilots were. When you entered the room they were crowding around the radio listening. The tension was so thick it could have been cut with a knife. 

“What’s going on?” you asked

“Maverick and Rooster are in a defensive spiral,” Phoenix explained.

You rushed over to listen. Maverick was questioning Rooster and urging him to break out. The more time passed the more dread you felt. Not only were they approaching the hard deck, but they also were approaching the ground. If they didn’t quit they could both die. Luckily, they were able to break out of the spiral just in time. Other than Bradley’s pride, no one was hurt. Everyone cleared the room after they heard that both men were safe on the ground. 

You stepped out into the hallway and let out a deep sigh. Things were truly getting serious. But, surely everything would get better with time? Right?

Woah, another chapter has arrived! Things are starting to get really tense! Will these aviators be able to pull themselves together? Will Hangman and y/n get along this go around? Who knows?! (i do)

You noticed a small group of pilots near the front of the room all in uniform just like yourself. Two of the men seemed to be the center of attention in the group. One was with brown eyes, and a slightly taller man with golden hair. As you made your way towards the large group you noticed how handsome the blond was, with eyes like sinking ships on water. Everything about him seemed so inviting- until he opened his mouth.

“Looks like our dry summer is about to get wet boys”

You rolled your eyes as any attraction or curiosity you had for the man disappeared. The other men cringed at the comment and walked away, not wanting to see him further embarrass himself. His friend with brown eyes remained by his side though, likely pitying the blonde.

“Please ignore him, it’s impossible for him to say anything normal” Said the man with brown eyes, “I’m Javy Machado, callsign “Coyote.”

“Nice to meet you Coyote, I’m glad someone in your little group is normal.”

“I’ll have you know I am very normal and very much adored.” The blond said while winking.

“Sure you are. what's your name goldilocks?” you asked, very much annoyed at his flirty demeanor.

“The name’s Jake Seresin, but everyone calls me “Hangman.”

This made you laugh, “Is it because they’d rather hang themselves than talk to you?”

Coyote laughed at your remark before answering your question, “Unfortunately, the reason is much worse, but you’ll find out later.”

Hangman rolled his eyes, “Well, what's your name then?” He was clearly hoping there was something he could mock you for.

“Im y/n, callsign is “TAG” you said with a smirk,

“TAG? Like the game?” Coyote asked.

“Not quite,” you replied.

TAG was an acronym meaning “Take a Guess”. Anytime a guy like Hangman came up to you and asked if you would go out with them you'd always deadpan and say “take a guess”. Usually they got the hint and because of how often you said it your old squad members took to calling you TAG. Saying “take a guess” under any circumstance became an inside joke for everyone who knew you. Eventually these guys would figure out what it meant.

Hangman had a puzzled look on his face, “Well what does it mean then?”

“Take a guess”

“Has it got something to do with dog tags?”

“Nope”

Before he could make another guess the instructors began filing into the room. You broke away from the two men to go and sit down.

After the very long and boring lecture about rules, expectations, and information about the very inflexible schedule that the school operates on, you were finally allowed to leave. When you were on your way out of the room Coyote called your name and invited you to go to The Hard Deck, a bar nearby. You accepted and shortly after you began getting ready. You didn’t think you had time to unpack your things and change out of your uniform, so you settled for throwing on some makeup before heading out. You applied a light coat of mascara, some lip oil and concealer and got on your way.

Once you made it to the Hard Deck you suddenly felt very nervous. The realities of being in a new place without anyone you knew was suddenly hitting you. Being in the military made you no stranger to constantly moving around, being in new places, and meeting new people. But the daunting challenge of Top Gun made it all so different this time. But you pushed those thoughts away as you walked further into the bar. No one else seemed to be there yet so you sat at the bar and waited for the bartender to see you.

When you caught her attention she began walking over, the most genuine smile on her face. Her warmness felt comforting to you and helped ease your anxieties.

“You’re a new face. I’m Penny, what can I get for you?”

You introduced yourself and ordered your favorite drink.

“Top Gun?” She asked as she set the drink in front of you.

You nodded as she continued. “Don’t be nervous, you seem smarter than all the guys that go through there.

You thanked her and paid as you noticed a man a few stools away from you. He was cute, but seemed a bit too interested. The look on his face made you queasy. It was as if you were prey and he was hunting you. You quickly looked away, not wanting to give him the impression that you were interested, but it was too late. He got up and sauntered over to you with a crooked smile.

“Hey there, pretty lady, I couldn’t help but overhear that you’re in Top Gun. Very impressive.”

“Thank you”, you said quickly and turned away.

“I’m sure being so pretty makes it easy to get in though” he said.

You rolled your eyes and shook your head. “Doesn’t work that way pal. Have a nice day”

He laughed, “Don’t be so sensitive sweetheart. Why don’t you come outside with me and I’ll show you what a real cockpit looks like”

“How about you go away” you said with daggers shooting out of your eyes.

“You mean you wouldn’t want to go out with me?” he gawked, genuinely surprised that his flirtations didn’t work

Scoffing, you said “Why don’t you take a guess.”

He huffed and puffed as he got up to leave you alone. “You know I was just trying to be nice ok!” the man exclaimed. “Not even that pretty anyways” he remarked as he stormed out of the bar.

You rolled your eyes again and looked towards your drink. Being a woman in a bar alone was bad enough, but over the years you noticed that the uniform brought the worst kind of attention to you. He was just one of the hundreds of men out there with bad intentions and enough of a buzz to make their desires your problem.

A half hour had passed before you had been disturbed again. You had just received water from Penny when Hangman stood next to you.

“Why the long face?” he asked, a look of genuine concern painted on his features, but you didn’t see.

Your eyes were glued to the water as you said “none of your business.”

“Ok. Have it your way” he said as he walked away towards the pool table.

Eventually, the rest of the Top Gun students began to trickle into the bar and towards where Hangman was beating some poor college kids at the pool table. You got up and followed them over, watching as Hangman sunk the eight ball into the pocket he picked. He shook the hands of the frat boys and they walked away defeated.

“I will never understand why college kids think they can beat navy guys at pool” he said to Coyote, who was laughing.

“I don’t know why either” Coyote agreed, “but it will never fail to entertain me”

You caught yourself smiling and looked away from the blond. A woman in uniform that you hadn’t met yet walked up to you, distracting you from Jake.

“I don’t think we’ve met yet” she started, “I’m Maria Jimenez”

You smiled warmly at her and told her your name, “What’s your callsign?” you asked

“Shadow, and you?”

“TAG”

Maria raised a brow at you. “TAG? Like the game?”

Laughing and shaking your head, you explained, “it's an acronym. It means "take a guess.”

She cracked a smile and asked “is that your catchphrase or something?”

“You could say that. It's a bit of an inside joke with everyone in flightschool because of how often I say it. Especially since I got in trouble with saying it to the admiral at my last station”

Maria gasped, “You didn’t! How did you even start saying it so often?”

“Well, when gross guys see the uniform and ask me out I would say that to them. But it quickly seeped into my regular conversation.”

“I like that,” she replied. “Do the others know what it stands for?”

“No actually” you chuckled, “I want to see how long it takes for the guys to figure out what it means”

She laughed too before remarking that it would probably take a while. You agreed before asking her how she earned her call sign.

“I freaked out during a training exercise because I thought there was an enemy plane following me. I saw the shadow and was frantically searching for an enemy while I made evasive maneuvers. It was only when I heard my squad laughing that I realized it was my own shadow.”

You laughed at her story and asked when that happened.

“It was my very first day flying with the navy” she giggled, “I think the nerves really got to me”

“Well it seems like you turned out to be a great pilot if you’re in Top Gun”

“Cheers to that!”

You spent the rest of the night conversing with Maria. She was incredibly easy to talk to and you became fast friends. Having a friend you could count on was important enough in everyday life, but especially in the navy. Finding time to talk to friends and family back home was hard, so you were comforted to think about you and Maria having each other's backs through Top Gun.

After the first week of training had passed you and Maria had become each other’s best friends. Although you each had friends, neither of you had a best friend. Because of this you made a strong bond and a promise to be there for eachother. Being of a similar mind, the two of you decided to celebrate the first week by going out to the Hard Deck.

Each of you were out of your uniforms and in civilian clothes. Being able to blend in assured you both that you just might be able to have a regular night. However, you couldn’t have guessed that tonight would change everything for you.

You and Maria had just finished a game of darts and sat down at the bar. Maria was deciding on what she should order when Penny brought over two drinks which neither of you had asked for.

“These are from the cuties in the corner” Penny said with a wink.

It was true, the two guys who had ordered you drinks were indeed very attractive. You both blushed as you accepted the drinks. After a few minutes of glancing back and forth, the two men decided to come over and talk to you. You had your eye on the guy in glasses. He was tall and muscular, tattoos adorning his biceps.

He introduced his friend, Harry, and then himself.

“I’m Sawyer” he drawled before asking you,, “what might be your name?”

You blushed at his rich southern accent before telling him your own name.

“A beautiful name for a beautiful girl”

You giggled at his flirtatious comment. All of a sudden you felt like a school girl giggling over the football star. It had been a long time since you felt so flustered and attracted to a guy and you were enjoying it. Eventually, you and Sawyer split off from Maria and Harry. Sawyer was extremely interested in getting to know you. He thought it was amazing that you were in Top Gun and said that you must be the most hard-working person he ever met. The compliments kept rolling in, each one making you feel more and more flustered, and attracted to him.

At some point you two had made your way to a table to sit down. When he excused himself to order you both another round of drinks you noticed that Hangman was across the bar. He was staring you down, a look of disdain painting his face. You quickly looked away, not sure of what you could have done to make the pilot so angry. Distracting yourself from Hangman’s expressions, you looked over to check on Maria and Harry, making sure she was still doing good. After receiving a thumbs up from your friend you looked at the bar to see if Sawyer had gotten your drinks yet.

As he was on his way back to the table he was intercepted by none other than Hangman himself. You felt your brows pinch together at the sight. The two men slowly made their way to the table.

“Hey y/n” Hangman said with thinly masked anger, “I just met your new friend here.”

Sawyer nodded and awkwardly laughed, “yeah, you pilots sure seem to be everywhere”

Hangman smirked, “You bet. Did you know we’re from the same part of Texas? So funny... Anyways you two have fun”

He waited for no reply before he marched away. You felt extremely weirded out by the exchange that just occurred.

“I am so sorry about that,” you apologized. “I’m not really sure why he did that, he and I don’t even talk at work”

Sawyer scratched his neck before saying, “it's ok. He’s probably just really drunk”

You nodded your head and quickly glanced at Hangman. He was still scowling at you and Sawyer while frantically talking to Coyote. You shook your head and refocused on the man in front of you.

“Well, it’s getting pretty late” Sawyer started, “Before I head out I was hoping that I could take you out some time”

“Absolutely, I’d really like that,” you answered.

After exchanging numbers and setting up a plan for your date you watched him and his friend leave the Hard Deck. As you and Maria made your way back to base you gossiped about the great nights you each had. Of course in your recounting of the events you included Hangman’s strange behavior, but neither of you knew him well enough to understand it.

The following day you went out with Sawyer to a coffee shop. The date was wonderful and just like the night before he showered you in praises about how amazing and pretty you were. You went home with him afterwards and had a good time. Both of you were sure that the connection was going places.

On monday you were back to training and floating on cloud nine due to your blossoming relationship. Your bubble of bliss was immediately popped upon your first encounter with Hangman that day. You had cordially greeted him but he returned your hellos with a weird look. A scoff escaped your lips as you watched him angrily walk away. From then on your interactions only got worse.

The rest of the week Hangman seemed to target you in training exercises. At the Hard Deck he continued to stare down you and Sawyer. One night when Sawyer hadn’t been able to make it, Jake kept pestering you with questions about your new boyfriend.

“You know, it’s so funny… Sawyer told me he was born and raised in San Antonio, just like me, but I’ve never heard an accent like his before”

“Oh my god,” you sighed, “Can you please leave me alone Hangman. I am sick of your bizarre questions about Sawyer. ”

He shook his head, his southern drawl emphasized as he said “it’s just strange. That's all”

“You’re crazy,” you said, scowling at him as you walked away.

Determined not to let Hangman get to you, you vowed to ignore him as much as you possibly could. Neither you or Maria could understand why Hangman was acting the way he was towards you. Maria chucked it up to him not liking you since he was normal towards Maria and Harry. You hoped that was the case. Nothing was going to let him ruin your mood or your relationship. Things were great with Sawyer! He was so nice and gentlemanly, everything about him was truly perfect. Right?

Eventually, the grueling 13 weeks at Top Gun were over. You graduated and were officially done dealing with Hangman forever! Both you and Maria ended up with jobs at the same base after graduating. Sawyer decided to transfer his accounting job to another location in order to move in with you.

It was after you finally were settled in your new home together in North Carolina when things started going downhill. Sawyer started coming home late, assuring you that with tax season coming up his workload was increasing. Of course, you believed him. There had never been any reason not to trust him.

Unfortunately, even long after tax season was over he still got stuck at the office. His interest in you seemed to die down over time as well. The compliments that he once showered you in had slowly become back-handed and laced with contempt. But you loved him, surely you would work it out. Every relationship had rough patches. At least, that’s what you told yourself everyday.

Slowly, you stopped going out with Maria. Sawyer didn’t like it when you went out. Whenever you were at work Maria kept asking you what was the matter with you and if Sawyer was mistreating you. You assured her he wasn’t and that everything was fine, but her and Harry were suspicious. Harry and Sawyer used to be close friends, but once Maria told Harry about how odd you were acting, Harry began ignoring Sawyer. He didn’t want to be friends with someone he was sure was hurting you.

The straw that broke the camel’s back was your birthday. You had texted Sawyer that morning that they scheduled an extra training exercise for the day and that you would be home late. He didn’t reply to your message, nor did he wish you a happy birthday. There was hope that maybe he was planning to surprise you later. In fact, you were quite surprised when you came home earlier than expected and found him in bed with another woman.

The aftermath was messy. You and him were screaming at each other as the woman ran out of the apartment. He somehow found a way to blame you for the situation, claiming you didn’t support him enough and that he was forced to find someone else for comfort. When you screamed at him to get out of the apartment he slapped you and demanded you be the one to leave. Not wanting to be in his presence any longer, you relented and packed your necessary belongings.

Maria and Harry took you in with open arms. Sawyer received a healthy beating from Harry which prompted him to eventually move out of the apartment and to a different state. The next few months were the hardest of your life. You had given your whole heart to Sawyer, poured everything you had into trying to make him happy and to win back his love. And all for nothing. It took only a week before he was blowing up your phone, as well as your friends’ phones begging you to take him back. You refused and tried to get your life in order, picking up the pieces as best as you could.

Eventually, Harry found out that Sawyer had not only cheated and emotionally abused you, but he also had been lying to everyone about who he was. As it turned out, he really had been from Canada and had abandoned his wife and child. He made a new life for himself and tricked everyone he knew. Maybe Hangman was right. Luckily, you dodged a bullet when it came to him, but it still hurt like hell. Every night for the next few months you cried. The relationship was horrible and you were glad it was over, but the betrayal was what got you.

It made you question everything about yourself, whether you were worthy of love, whether you were even attractive. You weren’t even sure if you saw yourself loving anyone ever again.

Wow. That first chapter sure did end on a bummer...